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The  University  of  Chicago  Publications 
IN  Religious  Education 

EDITED  BY 

ERNEST  D-    BURTON  SHAILER  MATHEWS 

THEODORE  G.   SOARES 


PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS  OF  RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION 


THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF 
BIBLE  STORIES 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


THE  BASER  &  TAYLOR  COMPAWT 

BBW  lORK 


TUE  CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON 

THE  MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA 

tOKTO,  OSAKA,    KYOTO,  FUKUOKA,   SENOAI 

THE  MISSION  BOOK  COUFANT 

tUANSHAI 


A  SHEPHERD 


THE   DRAMATIZATION 
OF  BIBLE  STORIES 


AN  EXPERIMENT  IN  THE  RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION  OF  CHILDREN 


Elizabeth  Erwin  Miller 

The  School  of  Education 
Uni'versity  of  Chicago 


OF  ?9M 


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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


Copyright  iqi8  By 
The  University  of  Chicago 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Published  April  iqi8 
Second  Impression  January  1919 
Third  Impression  December  1919 

Fourth  Impression  June  1920 

Fifth  Impression  November  1920 

Sixth  Impression  May  192 1 


CompoGed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Chicagro  Press 

Chicago,  Illinois,  If  S.A. 


TO  MY  LITTLE  FRIENDS,  THE  CHILDREN  IN  THE 

DRAMATIC  CLUB   OF  THE  HYDE  PARK  CHURCH  OF  DISCIPLES, 

THIS  BOOK  IS  LOVINGLY  DEDICATED 


GENERAL  PREFACE 

The  progress  in  religious  education  in  the  last  few 
years  has  been  highly  encouraging.  The  subject 
has  attained  something  of  a  status  as  a  scientific 
study,  and  significant  investigative  and  experimen- 
tal work  has  been  done.  More  than  that,  trained 
men  and  women  in  increasing  numbers  hav.e  been 
devoting  themselves  to  the  endeavor  to  work  out 
in  churches  and  Sunday  schools  the  practical  prob- 
lems of  organization  and  method. 

It  would  seem  that  the  time  has  come  to  pre- 
sent to  the  large  body  of  workers  in  the  field 
of  religious  education  some  of  the  results  of  the 
studies  and  practice  of  those  who  have  attained 
a  measure  of  educational  success.  With  this  end 
in  view  the  present  series  of  books  on  ^'Principles 
and  Methods  of  Religious  Education''  has  been 
undertaken. 

It  is  intended  that  these  books,  while  thoroughly 
scientific  in  character,  shall  be  at  the  same  time 
popular  in  presentation,  so  that  they  may  be  avail- 
able to  Sunday-school  and  church  workers  every- 
where. The  endeavor  is  definitely  made  to  take 
into  account  the  small  school  with  meager  equip- 
ment, as  well  as  to  hold  before  the  larger  schools 
the  ideals  of  equipment  and  training. 

ix 


X  General  Preface 

The  series  is  planned  to  meet  as  far  as  possible  all 
the  problems  that  arise  in  the  conduct  of  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  church.  While  the  Sunday 
school,  therefore,  is  considered  as  the  basal  organi- 
zation for  this  purpose,  the  wider  educational  work 
of  the  pastor  himself  and  that  of  the  various  other 
church  organizations  receive  due  consideration  as 
parts  of  a  unified  system  of  education  in  morals 

and  religion. 

The  Editors 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

List  of  Illustrations xiii 

Introduction  by  Edward  Scribner  Ames     ...  i 

CHAPTER 

I.  Educational  Aims  in  Dramatization       .     .  5 

II.  The  Method  of  Dramatization    ....  9 

III.  The  Dramatization  OF  "  Joseph  "       ...  17 

IV.  The  Dramatization  of  "David  and  Goliath "  44 

V.  The  Dramatization  of  "Moses  in  the  Bul- 
rushes"        52 

VI.  The  Dramatization  OF  "Ruth"    ....  59 

VII.  The  Dramatization  OF  "  Queen  Esther  "     .  68 

VIII.  The  Dramatization  of  "Abt^aham  and  the 

Three  Guests" 84 

IX.  The   Dramatization    of    "Daniel   in   the 

Lions'  Den" 93 

X.  The    Dramatization    of    New    Testament 

Parables 98 

XL  The  Dramatic  Qualities  in  a  Good  Story  .  109 

XII.  Bible  Stories  Suitable  for  Dramatization  113 

XIII.  Stage  Setting  and  Properties      ....  130 

XIV.  Costuming 144 

XV.  The  Organization  of  a  Church  Dramatic 

Club 152 

Index 161 

xi 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 
A  Shepherd Frontispiece 

FIGURE  PAGE 

1.  Pharaoh's  Court 42 

2.  A  Scene  From  David  and  Goliath    ....  47 

3.  Esther  and  Mordecai        73 

4.  Esther  Dances  before  the  King      ....  75 

5.  The  King  Holds  Out  the  Scepter  to  Esther  .  79 

6.  Queen  Esther  Pleads  for  Her  People      .     .  81 

7.  The  Three  Guests  Bless  Abraham  AND  Sarah  .  88 

8.  The  Wise  and  Foolish  Virgins loi 

9.  The  Good  Samaritan    . 104 

10.  Water  Jugs  and  Other  Clay  Utensils       .     .  132 

11.  Woman  Carrying  Water  Jug 133 

12.  Ancient  Wells  in  Palestine 134 

13.  Ancient  Weapons 135 

14.  A  Shepherd's  Sling  and  Loom  for  Weaving 
Sling 136 

15.  Sickles 137 

16.  Scepter 138 

17.  Shields 139 

18.  Trumpets 140 

19.  Signet  Ring 141 

20.  Lamp 141 

21.  Egyptian  Designs 142 

22.  Helaiets  and  Crowns 143 

xiii 


xiv  List  of  Illustrations 

FIGURE  PAGE 

23.  A  Group  of  Children,  Showing  Costumes  and 

A  Trumpet 145 

24.  The  Costume  of  Abraham 147 

25.  Two  Kinds  of  Costumes — the  Rich  Shepherd 
and  the  Servant 148 

26.  Costumes   Showing    Sandals    Made    by    the 
Children 149 

27.  Costumes  .     .  150 


INTRODUCTION 

By  Edward  Scribner  Ames 

This  book  is  its  own  best  commendation,  for  it 
is  a  most  convincing  record  of  an  important  experi- 
ment in  education.  It  is  the  more  interesting 
because  it  is  a  real  contribution  to  educational 
method  from  the  field  of  religious  education,  which 
too  often  only  appropriates  and  imitates  what  has 
been  achieved  elsewhere. 

This  experiment  is  founded  upon  the  powerful 
dramatic  impulse  of  children  and  upon  the  educa- 
tive value  of  the  natural  expression  of  that  impulse 
under  the  mutual  self-criticism  of  the  participating 
group.  The  function  of  the  leader  has  been  that 
of  an  unobtrusive  member  of  the  group  contributing 
such  suggestions  from  a  wider  experience  and 
deeper  insight  as  would  naturally  elicit  and  guide 
that  criticism.  That  this  fine  art  of  teaching  has 
been  realized  with  unusual  skill  in  this  experiment 
will  be  apparent  to  the  discerning  readers  of  this 
record,  as  it  has  been  by  those  who  have  watched 
the  progress  of  the  work  itself. 

Too  much  emphasis  cannot  be  given  to  the  fact 
that  the  primary  aim  of  this  use  of  dramatization 
is   the  education  of   the  children   and   not   the 


2      The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

entertainment  of  spectators,  although,  when  such 
dramatization  is  rightly  estimated,  nothing  could 
be  more  genuinely  entertaining.  Those  who  are 
expecting  to  find  here  ready-made  plays  for  chil- 
dren, with  directions  for  staging  them,  will  be 
properly  disappointed,  while  those  who  are  seeking 
illustrations  of  vital  methods  of  education  through 
the  cultivation  and  use  of  the  dramatic  impulse 
will  be  amply  rewarded. 

The  latter  will  appreciate  the  frank  portrayal 
of  the  early  and  cruder  efforts  of  the  children  and 
their  own  critical  reactions  due  to  further  reflec- 
tion and  experimentation.  These  will  understand 
something  of  the  ability  and  patience  that  Miss 
Miller  has  employed  in  allowing  the  native  impulse 
to  develop  naturally  and  to  mature  through  the 
reactions  of  the  children  themselves.  They  will 
reahze  that  the  little  people  actually  formulated 
the  scenes  and  the  lines  of  the  dramas  even  if  it 
required  many  weeks  in  some  cases  to  do  so;  that 
it  is  better  for  the  actors  to  make  their  own  cos- 
tumes and  stage  properties,  however  simple  they 
may  be;  that  it  is  more  educative  for  each  child 
to  be  familiar  with  all  of  the  parts,  and  thus  with 
the  drama  as  a  whole,  than  to  be  coached  ever  so 
cleverly  to  impersonate  a  single  character;  and 
that  facihty  and  power  in  dramatization  are  thus 
attained  which  are  permanent  sources  of  pleasure 
and  understanding. 


Introduction  3 

It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  the  bibhcal  stories 
are  exceptionally  well  suited  to  such  use  and  that 
when  so  employed  they  yield  their  profound 
religious  quahty  directly  in  deep  and  lasting  impres- 
sions. The  children  who  have  been  so  fortunate 
as  to  belong  to  this  dramatic  club  not  only  "know  " 
these  stories,  but  they  have  lived  them  in  an  inti- 
mate and  durable  experience. 


CHAPTER  I 
EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  IN  DRAMATIZATION 

Dramatization  is  not  commonly  recognized  as 
a  means  of  vitalizing  the  religious  education  of 
children.  The  public  school  has  found  it  to  be 
one  of  the  most  effective  methods  for  enriching  the 
pupil's  ideas  of  given  units  of  subject-matter  and 
for  leading  to  the  establishment  of  permanent 
interests  and  of  habitual  modes  of  action. 

The  use  of  dramatization  in  the  school  in  order  to 
accomplish  these  ends  finds  its  justification  in  cer- 
tain fundamental  principles  of  teaching.  Subject- 
matter  is  so  presented  that  the  important  ideas 
stand  out  clearly.  These  ideas  are  mastered  by 
utilizing  them  in  some  form  of  activity  which  leads 
to  self-expression  on  the  part  of  the  children. 
Judgments  are  formed  and  conclusions  are  reached 
when  children  enter  actively  into  a  situation  which 
presents  a  problem;  ideas  become  their  own 
through  experience.  Through  dramatization  chil- 
dren give  expression  to  these  ideas  in  the  light 
of  their  own  interpretation.  The  formulation  of 
standards,  the  placing  of  values,  and  the  realization 
of  truths  and  ideals  follow  as  direct  results  of 
actively  entering  into  the  life-experience  of  others. 

5 


6      The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

From  a  psychological  point  of  view  ideas  and 
ideals,  whether  religious  or  secular,  are  developed 
according  to  the  same  general  laws.  Furthermore, 
the  principles  of  teaching  which  are  effective  in  the 
daily  classroom  must  be  equally  significant  in 
religious  training.  It  follows,  therefore,  that 
dramatization  and  other  forms  of  self-expression 
are  as  valuable  in  attaining  the  aims  of  the  Sunday 
school  as  they  are  in  teaching  the  curriculum  of 
the  day  school.  Through  dramatizing  a  Bible 
story  children  come  into  a  comprehension  of  the 
life-experiences  of  a  highly  rehgious  people;  they 
are  forming  their  own  standards  and  ideals  through 
meeting  and  solving  the  simple  life-problems  of  the 
Hebrews.  Each  child  has  as  great  an  opportunity 
for  self-expression  through  dramatizing  a  Bible 
story  as  that  afforded  through  dramatizing  any 
other  story.  He  not  only  develops  his  individual- 
ity, but  through  this  kind  of  work  he  must  neces- 
sarily come  into  the  realization  of  his  place  within 
the  group,  as  is  the  case  in  all  well-directed  drama- 
tization. 

The  period  is  rapidly  passing  in  which  dramatics 
is  looked  upon  by  church  members  as  being  sinful 
and  not  in  any  way  to  be  connected  with  the 
church.  This  view  is  a  rehc  of  a  conception  of 
rehgion  in  which  all  forms  of  freedom  and  pleasure 
were  considered  evil.  People  interested  in  religious 
education  are  now  realizing  that  dramatization 


Educational  Aims  in  Dramatization       7 

is  not  an  activity  foreign  to  children,  but  that  it  is 
an  outgrowth  of  the  play  interest  which  is  natural 
to  all  children.  They  are  aware  of  the  fact  that 
dramatization  becomes  evident  in  the  earliest 
stages  of  childhood  through  the  desire  of  children 
to  imitate  in  play  the  surrounding  social  activities. 
Many  churches  have  already  made  use  of  these 
natural  tendencies  by  incorporating  organized 
play  as  one  of  their  activities.  Since  dramatiza- 
tion is  but  a  speciaHzed  form  of  organized  play, 
and  inasmuch  as  it  can  be  used  very  effectively  in 
vitalizing  the  religious  training  which  all  children 
should  receive,  it  deserves  a  wider  recognition  and 
adoption. 

This  book  contains  a  description  of  a  children's 
dramatic  club  which  has  been  conducted  as  a  part 
of  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Hyde  Park 
Church  of  Disciples,  Chicago,  Illinois,  for  the 
purpose  of  accomplishing  the  ends  stated  above. 
Before  this  dramatic  club  was  organized  a  small 
amount  of  dramatization  was  attempted  in  certain 
of  the  classes  during  the  Sunday-school  period. 
The  enthusiastic  response  from  the  children  to 
this  new  phase  of  the  work  revealed  the  need  for 
more  of  this  kind  of  activity,  and  as  a  consequence 
it  was  decided  to  devote  one  hour  each  Sunday 
afternoon  to  the  dramatization  of  Bible  stories. 
The  membership  of  the  club  included  children 
ranging  from  six  to  fourteen  years  of  age.     The 


8      The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

average  attendance  has  been  from  twenty  to  thirty 
children  each  Sunday  throughout  these  four  years 
of  the  club's  existence. 

This  organization  was  attempted  more  or  less 
as  an  experiment  with  the  hope  that  definite  results 
could  be  accomphshed.  The  practical  problems 
which  have  arisen,  the  details  of  method  of  proce- 
dure, and  the  results  which  have  been  secured  will 
be  discussed  in  the  following  chapters. 

Several  of  the  stories  are  given  in  the  dramatic 
form  which  the  children  have  worked  out.  This 
is  done  for  the  sake  of  showing  what  kind  of  a 
result  may  be  secured.  It  is  hoped  that  these 
plays,  as  they  are  written  here,  will  not  be  given 
to  children  to  learn  and  act;  such  a  procedure 
would  be  entirely  contrary  to  the  spirit  and  purpose 
in  which  this  experiment  is  set  forth. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  METHOD  OF  DRAMATIZATION 

Two  very  different  aims  are  revealed  in  the 
present-day  employment  of  dramatization.  Chil- 
dren are  often  required  to  give  a  dramatic  produc- 
tion at  some  entertainment  or  social  event.  For 
this  purpose  a  story  is  selected  which  has  already 
been  put  into  dramatic  form.  The  parts  are 
assigned  by  the  leader,  and  the  children  are  asked 
to  memorize  these  parts  in  exact  form  and  order. 
The  children  are  then  trained  to  give  their  parts 
according  to  directions.  Throughout  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  play  the  finished  production  is  the  goal 
of  endeavor.  In  such  instances  as  this  the  chil- 
dren are  a  means  to  an  end,  and  their  own  train- 
ing and  development  are  usually  sacrificed  in 
the  leader's  attempt  to  secure  a  highly  finished 
product. 

In  contrast  to  the  case  just  mentioned,  drama- 
tization is  looked  upon  as  an  important  educa- 
tional factor  in  the  development  of  children.  From 
this  point  of  view  dramatization  is  utilized  in 
developing  on  the  part  of  the  child  intense  and 
permanent  interests  in  the  words  and  deeds  of 
noble  characters,  in  developing  power  of  natural 


lo    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

expression  in  them  as  individuals  and  as  members 
of  a  group,  and  in  raising  standards  of  action  to 
higher  levels  by  giving  forceful  expression  to  worthy 
ideals.  These  aims  are  realized  through  the  use 
of  informal  methods  which  give  the  children  abun- 
dant opportunity  for  initiative  and  choice.  The 
children  themselves  prepare  their  dramatization 
under  the  guidance  of  a  leader  who  has  a  vision  of 
the  results  which  may  be  secured  and  who  is  skilful 
in  directing  the  activities  toward  these  ends. 

The  little  dramatic  club  herein  described  adopted 
at  the  outset  the  point  of  view  outhned  in  the  pre- 
ceding paragraph.  Its  organization  was  based 
on  the  beHef  that  the  development  of  boys  and 
girls  is  a  much  more  vital  consideration  than  the 
development  of  a  dramatic  production.  Through- 
out its  history  the  chief  purpose  of  the  club  has 
been  to  promote  the  growth  of  children  through 
the  free,  spontaneous  dramatization  of  Bible 
stories.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  aim,  an  in- 
formal method  of  working  out  dramatizations  has 
been  used.  The  pubhc  presentation  of  a  play  is 
only  incidental  to  the  children;  there  is  no  need 
for  them  to  act  out  a  story  that  has  been  dramatized 
by  someone  else.  Their  aim  is  realized  in  the  joy 
of  actually  living  the  story  over  each  time  they  play 
it,  though  this  may  result  in  the  highest  form 
of  entertainment.  That  children  should  ''speak 
lines"  given  them  to  memorize  for  the  sake  of 


The  Method  of  Dramatization  ii 

entertainment  is  deadly — to  the  child  as  well  as 
to  the  audience. 

There  is  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
value  of  the  classic  language  of  the  Bible  for  chil- 
dren, and  many  advocate  the  use  of  modern  or 
simphfied  versions.  If,  however,  the  children  have 
made  their  own  efforts  to  dramatize  the  story, 
using  first  of  all  their  own  words,  it  is  easy  to  help 
them  to  adopt  much  of  the  beautiful  classic  lan- 
guage in  putting  the  work  into  its  final  form.  The 
bibhcal  warding  helps  to  give  the  play  its  proper 
dignity  and  atmosphere,  at  the  same  time  acquaint- 
ing the  children  with  the  exact  language  of  a  piece 
of  good  literature. 

The  method  of  procedure  which  is  followed  in 
leading  children  to  work  out  their  own  dramatiza- 
tions varies  shghtly  according  to  circumstances  but 
in  the  main  is  as  follows : 

A  story  is  chosen  by  the  leader  which  includes 
the  elements  essential  for  a  good  dramatization, 
and  it  is  told  to  the  children  in  such  a  way  that  the 
action  or  events  are  emphasized.  Direct  discourse 
is  used  in  the  telHng,  and  an  effort  is  made  to 
develop  simple  and  vivid  mental  pictures.  The 
children  divide  the  story  into  its  most  important 
pictures  or  scenes.  They  then  suggest  in  detail 
what  should  take  place  in  the  first  scene,  and  some 
of  them  are  asked  to  act  it  out  as  they  think 
it  should    be    done.     This    first    presentation   is 


12    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

sometimes  stiff  and  more  or  less  self-conscious.  The 
leader  raises  such  questions  as,  ''Which  parts  did 
these  children  do  best?"  ''Why?"  ^'Where  can 
they  improve  it  ? "  "What  would  you  do  to  make 
the  part  better?"  "What  do  you  think  should 
have  been  said  here  ?  "  This  leads  to  constructive 
criticism  of  the  scene  by  the  children  themselves 
rather  than  by  the  leader  in  charge.  Each  child 
is  eager  to  offer  suggestions  at  this  point  and  is 
anxious  for  an  opportunity  to  give  his  own  inter- 
pretation of  the  part  by  acting  it  out.  He  formu- 
lates his  words  as  he  acts.  He  forgets  himself 
in  the  genuine  interest  which  arises  as  he  relives 
the  experience  of  someone  else.  Each  scene  is 
developed  in  a  similar  manner. 

The  leader  encourages  freedom  in  individual 
interpretation,  yet  she  is  ever  keeping  before  the 
children  the  fact  that  they  are  trying  to  give  a 
true  portrayal  of  the  characters  or  conditions.  It 
is  often  valuable  to  have  a  discussion  of  individual 
characters  for  the  purpose  of  securing  clear  ideas 
concerning  them.  After  all  have  tried  various 
parts  and  have  offered  many  suggestions,  they 
may  be  led  to  choose  that  interpretation  which 
seems  most  adequate,  or  they  may  all  work  out 
the  interpretation  of  a  part  which  will  involve 
the  ideas  of  many.  After  the  story  has  been  played 
through  a  few  times,  each  child  should  be  able  to 
assume  any  character.     It  is  an  essential  part  of 


The  Method  of  Dramatization  13 

this  method  to  see  that  every  child  has  a  different 
part  each  time. 

Very  often,  when  the  play  develops  to  this  stage, 
some  one  child,  or  several,  will  suddenly  become 
aware  of  repetitions  in  the  scenes  and  will  suggest 
that  some  scenes  are  unnecessary.  It  is  then  the 
time  to  refer  to  the  number  of  scenes  in  a  good 
drama,  and  to  lead  the  children  to  realize  that  in 
any  good  play  much  is  left  to  the  imagination  of 
the  audience,  and  that  only  the  essential  scenes 
need  be  shown.  By  means  of  discussions  the  play 
is  worked  over  again,  and  it  is  finally  reduced  to  the 
three  or  four  scenes  that  seem  absolutely  necessary. 

In  many  instances  the  dramatization  needs  no 
further  development.  None  of  the  words  have 
been  accepted  as  definite,  for,  although  the  thought 
given  is  the  same  each  time,  exactly  the  same  words 
are  never  said  twice.  The  story  is  interpreted 
slightly  differently  with  each  performance.  This 
interpretation,  without  obtaining  a  highly  finished 
result,  is  best  for  short  stories  or  incidents.  Fables 
and  parables  may  be  used  well  in  this  way.  The 
action  follows  continuously  with  the  development 
of  the  thought. 

In  the  case  of  a  story  which  has  a  more  detailed 
plot  and  which  involves  more  complicated  situa- 
tions the  development  may  go  further :  the  wording 
is  carefully  worked  out  by  the  children  and  the 
language  of  the  Bible  is  employed.     The  words 


14    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

which  are  finally  used  by  the  children  may  be 
composite  results  developed  by  the  group  as  a 
whole,  or  after  they  have  gone  as  far  as  they 
can  with  them  the  leader,  or  a  committee  com- 
posed of  several  children  with  the  leader,  may 
suggest  a  final  form  which  is  good  from  a  literary 
standpoint. 

Children  either  volunteer  or  are  chosen  by  the 
others  to  take  finally  certain  parts.  There  is  a 
marked  sociaKzing  influence  evident  in  the  fact 
that  a  child  is  chosen  by  the  other  children  for  the 
good  of  the  group  and  not  for  self-aggrandizement 
or  partiality  toward  a  friend.  It  is  always  the 
case  after  a  few  rehearsals  that  each  child  knows 
every  part  and  can  easily  adapt  himself  to  the  part 
of  any  character.  There  is  no  trouble  about  a 
substitute  when  one  or  two  children  fail  to  arrive. 
Each  child  has  lived  the  story  until  it  has  become 
a  very  vital  part  of  him.  The  finished  product 
belongs  to  the  children;  they  have  developed  it; 
it  is  not  the  production  of  someone  else  which  they 
have  learned  by  heart. 

At  the  final  presentation  of  the  play  the  children 
invite  parents  and  friends.  This  is  not  thought 
of  as  a  climax  toward  which  they  have  been  work- 
ing; it  is  hardly  more  important  than  any  of  the 
rehearsals;  it  is  simply  an  opportunity  for  others 
to  enjoy  the  story  with  them.  The  encouragement 
of  this  attitude  toward  the  pubHc  presentation 


The  Method  of  Dramatization  15 

of  a  play  is  important  in  that  it  does  away  with  the 
self-conscious  feeling  of  a  child  that  he  is  acting 
before  people,  or  that  people  are  interested  in  him 
rather  than  in  the  character  that  he  portrays. 
Much  harm  can  be  done  by  allowing  a  child  to  feel 
that  he  is  ''showing  off"  on  a  stage. 

This  mode  of  procedure  in  developing  a  drama- 
tization illustrates  the  general  method  which  is 
employed  in  order  to  secure  the  results  herein 
discussed.  It  should  be  helpful  as  a  method  which 
may  be  varied  or  built  upon  according  to  the  cir- 
cumstances. Detailed  descriptions  of  exact  modes 
of  procedure  in  presenting  different  kinds  of  Bible 
stories  to  the  dramatic  club  will  follow.  Costumes 
and  stage  settings  have  always  been  of  the  simplest 
nature  and  will  be  discussed  at  length  in  a  separate 
chapter. 

In  order  that  this  method  may  be  of  greatest 
practical  value  to  those  who  are  unfamiliar  with  it, 
a  summary  may  give  the  steps  in  logical  sequence. 
This  outline  is  not  to  be  taken  as  unchangeable,  but 
merely  as  a  working  basis  for  the  beginner. 

1.  Select  a  story  with  care;  then  adapt  it  for 
telling. 

2 .  Tell  the  story,  emphasizing  the  essential  parts. 

3.  Let  the  children  divide  the  story  into  pictures 
or  scenes. 

4.  Have  a  discussion  of  what  should  take  place 
in  each  scene. 


1 6    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

5.  Let  volunteers  from  among  the  children  act 
out  one  scene  as  they  think  it  should  be  done,  using 
their  own  words. 

6.  Develop  criticism  by  the  other  children  with 
suggestions  for  improvement. 

7.  Have  a  second  acting  of  the  scene  for  im- 
provement. 

8.  Let  each  of  the  other  scenes  be  worked  out 
in  the  same  manner. 

9.  See  that  every  child  has  the  chance  to  try 
out  many  parts. 

10.  Play  the  story  through  many  times. 
Change  it  often  according  to  the  criticism,  until 
the  children  recognize  the  result  as  a  product  of 
their  best  effort. 

11.  With  the  help  of  the  children  change  the 
words  into  bibhcal  form. 

12.  Let  the  group  assign  definite  parts  to  be 
learned  for  the  final  performance. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  JOSEPH 

As  will  be  noted  in  the  following  chapter,  it  is 
well  in  beginning  dramatic  work  with  children  to 
use  for  the  first  efforts  very  simple  stories.  Joseph 
is  too  long  and  complicated  for  an  early  experiment. 
We  may  begin  our  exposition  of  method  with  this 
story,  however,  as  it  illustrates  especially  well  the 
details  of  the  developing  process. 

At  the  first  meeting  the  story  was  told  in  terms 
that  followed  closely  the  Bible  version.  The  chil- 
dren were  asked  to  select  the  big  events,  or  pictures, 
in  Joseph's  life.  They  readily  spoke  of  his  life 
in  Canaan  as  a  boy;  his  being  put  into  the  pit 
and  sold  to  the  merchants;  his  life  in  Egypt  with 
Potiphar;  the  prison  experience  and  the  interpreta- 
tion of  Pharaoh's  dream;  the  change  of  fortune  in 
becoming  ruler  of  the  land;  the  famine  and  the 
visits  of  his  brothers;  and,  finally,  his  kindness  to 
his  father  and  brothers  in  giving  them  a  home  in 
Egypt. 

The  story  was  told  to  the  children  very  much  as 
follows : 

Jacob  was  an  old  man,  too  old  to  care  for  his  large  flocks. 
He  sat  in  the  door  of  his  tent  day  after  day,  and  sent  his 
twelve  sons  off  with  the  sheep  and  goats  to  find  grassy  fields. 

17 


i8     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Now  of  all  the  twelve  sons  Jacob  loved  Joseph,  a  lad  of 
seventeen  years,  the  best.  Joseph  was  next  to  the  youngest 
and  often  stayed  with  his  father  while  the  older  brothers  went 
away.  Jacob  gave  Joseph  a  coat  of  many  colors  and  showed 
him  often  that  he  was  the  favorite.  This  made  the  older 
brothers  ver>"  jealous  of  Joseph,  and  they  began  to  dishke  him. 

Once  Joseph  dreamed  a  dream,  which  he  told  to  his 
brothers,  and  it  made  them  hate  him  all  the  more.  He  said 
to  them,  ''Hear,  I  pray  you,  this  dream  which  I  have 
dreamed:  Behold,  we  were  binding  sheaves  in  the  field,  and, 
lo,  my  sheaf  arose,  and  stood  upright;  and,  behold,  your 
sheaves  stood  round  about  and  bowed  down  to  my  sheaf." 
Then  his  brothers  said  to  him,  "Shalt  thou  indeed  reign  over 
us  ?  or  shalt  thou  have  power  over  us  ?  " 

Then  Joseph  dreamed  yet  another  dream,  and  he  told 
it  again  to  his  father  and  brothers,  and  said,  "Behold,  the 
sun  and  moon  and  the  eleven  stars  bowed  down  to  me." 
And  his  father  said  unto  him,  "What  is  this  dream  that  thou 
hast  dreamed  ?  Shall  I  and  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren 
indeed  come  to  bow  down  ourselves  to  thee?"  And  the 
brothers  remembered  what  their  father  had  said,  and  they 
wished  that  harm  might  come  to  Joseph, 

It  happened  soon  after  this  that  Jacob  sent  his  ten  older 
sons  with  the  flocks  to  Shechem,  a  place  some  distance  away 
where  there  was  good  grass.  Now^  the  brothers  were  gone 
for  so  long  a  time  that  their  father  became  anxious  and 
decided  to  send  Joseph  after  them.  He  said  to  Joseph,  "  Do 
not  thy  brethren  feed  the  flock  in  Shechem  ?  Go,  I  pray 
thee,  see  whether  it  be  well  with  thy  brethren  and  well  with 
the  flocks;  and  bring  me  word  again."  So  Joseph  took 
money  and  food  in  his  bag,  and  his  staff  in  his  hand,  and 
went  out  to  find  his  brothers. 

At  Shechem  there  were  no  brothers  to  be  seen.  Joseph 
was  wondering  what  he  should  do  next,  when  he  saw  a  man 


Dramatization  of  "Joseph"  19 

coming  toward  him  over  the  field.  "What  seekest  thou?^* 
said  the  man.  And  Joseph  answered,  ''I  seek  my  brethren; 
tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  where  they  feed  their  flocks."  "They 
have  departed  from  here,"  said  the  man,  "and  have  gone 
to  Dothan."  Then  Joseph  went  after  his  brothers  and 
found  them  at  Dothan. 

Now  when  the  brothers  saw  Joseph  afar  off,  they  knew 
that  it  was  he  from  his  coat  of  many  colors,  and  they 
plotted  against  him.  One  of  them  said,  "Behold,  this 
dreamer  cometh.  Come,  now,  let  us  slay  him,  and  cast 
him  into  some  pit,  and  we  will  say  unto  our  father  that  some 
evil  beast  hath  devoured  him;  and  we  shall  see  what  will 
become  of  his  dreams."  Reuben,  one  of  the  brothers,  felt 
more  kindly  toward  Joseph  than  did  the  others  and  said 
to  them,  "Let  us  not  kill  him,  but  let  us  cast  him  into  this 
pit  that  is  near."  Reuben  thought  that  he  would  come 
back  later  after  the  brothers  had  gone  and  help  Joseph  out 
of  the  pit  and  take  him  to  his  father. 

When  Joseph  came  to  his  brothers,  they  quickly  took  the 
coat  of  many  colors  from  him  and  bound  him  and  cast  him 
into  an  old  well  which  was  dry.  Then  they  sat  down  to  eat 
bread.  They  had  hardly  become  settled  when  one  of  them 
cried  out,  "Behold,  I  see  a  caravan!  It  is  a  company  of 
Ishmaehtes,  with  their  camels  bearing  spicery  and  balm 
and  myrrh,  going  down  to  Egypt."  Then  Judah  said, 
"Why  do  we  slay  our  brother  and  conceal  his  blood? 
Come,  let  us  sell  him  to  these  Ishmaelites,  and  let  not  our 
hand  be  upon  him,  for  he  is  our  brother  and  our  flesh." 
The  brothers  were  content  to  do  as  Judah  had  said.  They 
drew  Joseph  up  out  of  the  well,  and  when  the  Ishmaelites 
came  near  they  sold  him  to  them  for  twenty  pieces  of  silver. 
And  the  brothers  went  away  to  kill  a  goat  so  that  they 
might  dip  Joseph's  coat  into  the  blood,  that  their  father 
might  think  that  he  had  been  killed  by  some  wild  animal. 


20    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Reuben  did  not  know  that  Joseph  had  been  sold,  and 
returned  unto  the  pit  after  the  brothers  had  left.  When  he 
saw  that  Joseph  was  not  there,  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  ran 
after  the  others,  crying,  "The  child  is  not,  and  I,  whither 
shaUIgo?" 

And  when  the  brothers  brought  Joseph's  coat  to  their 
father,  they  said,  "This  we  have  found;  thou  knowest  if 
it  be  thy  son's  coat."  And  Jacob  knew  it,  and  said,  'Tt 
is  my  son's  coat;  an  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him." 
Then  Jacob  put  on  sackcloth  and  ashes  and  mourned  for 
Joseph  many  days. 

Now  the  Ishmaelites  brought  Joseph  down  into  Egypt 
and  sold  him  to  Potiphar,  a  captain  of  King  Pharaoh's 
guard.  And  Joseph  was  faithful  and  served  the  Lord,  and 
Potiphar  saw  that  he  could  be  trusted  with  great  responsi- 
bility and  made  him  ruler  over  his  household.  But  Poti- 
phar's  wife  grew  jealous  of  Joseph  and  disliked  him,  and 
told  Potiphar  things  which  were  untrue  about  Joseph. 
After  awhile  Potiphar  began  to  believe  his  wife  and  he 
decided  that  Joseph  was  not  a  good  man,  so  he  had  Joseph 
cast  into  prison. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  butler  and  the  baker  of  the 
king  of  Egypt  were  put  into  prison  at  the  same  time  that 
Joseph  was  there,  and  they  were  placed  in  his  ward.  One 
morning  Joseph  found  them  both  very  sad  and  he  said  unto 
them,  "Wherefore  look  ye  so  sadly  today?"  And  they 
said,  "We  have  dreamed  a  dream  and  there  is  no  one  to 
interpret  it."  Then  Joseph  said,  "Do  not  interpretations 
belong  to  God  ?  Tell  me  your  dreams,  I  pray  you."  And 
they  told  him  their  dreams,  and  he  gave  them  the  meaning 
thereof.  To  the  chief  butler  he  said,  "Yet  within  three 
days  shall  Pharaoh  lift  up  thine  head  and  restore  thee  to 
thy  place."  But  to  the  chief  baker  he  said,  "Yet  within 
three  days  shall  Pharaoh  lift  up  thy  head  from  off  thee,  and 


Dramatization  of  "Joseph"  21 

shall  hang  thee  on  a  tree."  And  it  came  to  pass  that  on  the 
third  day  Pharaoh  gave  a  feast  to  his  servants,  and  he 
restored  the  chief  butler  to  his  place,  but  he  hanged  the 
chief  baker,  as  Joseph  had  interpreted. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  Pharaoh  dreamed  a  dream.  He 
was  greatly  troubled,  and  sent  for  all  the  wise  men  of  the 
land  to  tell  him  the  meaning  of  his  dream,  but  there  was 
none  that  could  interpret  it  unto  Pharaoh.  Then  the 
chief  butler  spoke  to  the  king  and  said,  "I  do  remember 
this  day,  that  when  Pharaoh  was  wroth  with  his  servants 
and  put  both  me  and  the  chief  baker  into  the  prison,  that 
we  each  dreamed  dreams  in  one  night;  and  there  was  a 
young  man  there,  a  Hebrew,  who  interpreted  to  us  our 
dreams,  and  they  came  to  pass  as  he  interpreted,  for  the 
chief  baker  was  hanged  and  I  was  restored  to  my  office." 

Then  Pharaoh  sent  for  Joseph,  and  they  brought  him 
in  hastily  out  of  the  dungeon.  And  Pharaoh  said,  ''I  have 
dreamed  a  dream,  and  there  is  none  that  can  interpret  it, 
and  I  have  heard  say  of  thee  that  thou  canst  understand  a 
dream  to  interpret  it."  And  Joseph  answered  Pharaoh, 
"It  is  not  in  me;  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an  answer  of 
peace."  Then  Pharaoh  said,  ''In  my  dream,  behold,  I 
stood  upon  the  bank  of  a  river;  and  there  came  up  out  of 
the  river  seven  fat  cows,  and  they  fed  in  a  meadow.  And, 
behold,  seven  other  cows  came  up  after  them,  lean  and  ill 
favored;  and  the  lean  and  ill-favored  cows  did  eat  up  the 
fat  and  well-favored  cows.  Then  I  dreamed  again,  and, 
behold,  seven  full  ears  of  corn  came  upon  one  stalk,  and 
then  seven  ears,  withered  and  thin,  came  up  after  them, 
and  devoured  the  good  ears." 

And  Joseph  said  to  Pharaoh,  "  God  hath  shewed  Pharaoh 
what  he  is  about  to  do.  This  is  the  thing  which  he  is  about 
to  do:  Behold,  there  will  come  seven  years  of  plenty 
throughout  the  land  of  Egypt;  and  there  shall  rise  up  after 


22    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

them  seven  years  of  famine,  and  the  famine  shall  consume 
the  land.  Now,  therefore,  let  Pharaoh  look  out  a  man, 
discreet  and  wise,  and  set  him  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
let  him  gather  up  all  the  food  during  the  years  of  plenty 
and  lay  it  up  in  the  cities,  so  that  the  land  shall  not  perish 
in  the  famine."  And  the  thing  was  good  in  the  eyes  of 
Pharaoh,  and  he  said,  "Can  we  find  such  a  one  as  this  is, 
a  man  in  whom  the  spirit  of  God  is  ?  Forasmuch  as  God 
has  shewed  thee  all  this,  there  is  none  so  discreet  and  wise 
as  thou  art;  thou  shalt  be  over  my  house,  and  according 
to  thy  word  shall  all  my  people  be  ruled."  Pharaoh  took 
off  his  ring  from  his  hand  and  clothed  him  in  fine  linen  and 
put  a  golden  chain  around  his  neck. 

Joseph  went  out  from  the  presence  of  Pharaoh  and  went 
over  all  the  land  of  Egypt.  He  gathered  up  the  food  for 
seven  years,  and  laid  up  the  food  in  the  cities.  And  the 
seven  years  of  plenteousness  that  were  in  all  the  land  of 
Egypt  were  ended,  and  the  seven  years  of  famine  began, 
and  there  was  famine  in  all  the  lands.  Then  Joseph  opened 
the  storehouses  and  sold  to  the  Egyptians,  and  other 
countries  sent  to  buy  grain  from  Joseph  because  they  had 
stored  none. 

Now  in  Canaan  Jacob  and  his  eleven  sons  were  suffering 
from  the  famine.  They  heard  that  there  was  food  in  Egypt, 
so  Jacob  sent  down  all  the  brothers,  except  Benjamin,  to 
buy  food.  When  they  came  before  Joseph  and  bowed 
themselves  to  the  earth,  they  knew  him  not.  But  Joseph 
saw  his  brothers,  and  he  made  himself  strange  unto  them, 
and  treated  them  roughly,  that  they  should  not  know  him. 
And  when  they  bowed  before  him  Joseph  remembered  the 
dreams  that  he  had  dreamed  of  them.  "Ye  are  spies,'* 
he  said,  "ye  are  come  to  see  the  bareness  of  the  land.'^ 
They  answered  him,  "We  are  true  men,  we  are  no  spies. 
Thy  servants  are  twelve  brothers,  the  sons  of  one  man 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  23 

in  Canaan;  and,  behold,  the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our 
father,  and  one  is  not."  '^Hereby  ye  shall  be  proved," 
said  Joseph,  ''if  ye  be  true  men;  let  one  of  your  brethren 
be  bound  in  the  prison  while  ye  go  and  carry  grain  to  your 
father's  house,  but  bring  back  your  youngest  brother  to  me." 

The  brothers  took  the  food  back  to  Canaan,  to  their 
father's  tent,  and  told  him  what  the  ruler  in  Egypt  had  said. 
Jacob  mourned  and  was  loath  to  let  Benjamin,  his  youngest 
son,  go  back  to  Egypt  with  them,  "My  son  shall  not  go 
down  with  you,"  he  said;  "for  his  brother  is  dead  and  he  is 
left  alone:  if  mischief  befall  him,  then  shall  ye  bring  down 
my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave."  But  the  famine 
was  great  in  the  land,  and  they  had  eaten  up  all  the  grain 
which  they  brought  from  Egypt.  The  brothers  would  not 
go  down  again  until  Jacob  had  consented  to  let  them  take 
Benjamin  with  them.  And  Judah  said  unto  his  father, 
"Send  the  lad  with  me  and  we  will  rise  and  go,  that  we  may 
live  and  not  die.  I  will  be  surety  for  him;  if  I  bring  him 
not  back  unto  thee,  then  let  me  bear  the  blame  forever." 
Then  Jacob  answered,  "If  it  must  be  so,  do  this:  take  the 
best  of  the  fruits  in  the  land,  and  carry  down  the  man  a 
present,  a  little  balm,  and  a  little  honey,  spices,  and  myrrh, 
nuts,  and  almonds  and  take  double  money,  and  take  also 
your  brother,  and  arise  and  go  unto  the  man;  and  God 
Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the  man,  that  he  may  send 
you  away  with  your  other  brother  and  Benjamin." 

And  the  men  took  the  present  and  double  the  money 
and  Benjamin,  and  went  down  into  Egypt,  and  stood  before 
Joseph.  When  Joseph  saw  Benjamin,  he  ordered  that  the 
men  be  brought  to  his  home,  and  that  a  feast  be  made  ready, 
and  that  the  other  brother  be  brought  out  of  the  prison. 
But  the  men  were  afraid  because  they  were  brought  into 
Joseph's  home,  and  they  bowed  themselves  to  the  earth 
before  him  and  presented  their  gifts.     Then  Joseph  was 


24     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

greatly  moved  and  said  unto  them,  "Is  your  father  well, 
the  old  man  of  whom  ye  spake  ?  Is  he  yet  alive  ?"  And 
they  answered,  "Thy  servant,  our  father,  is  in  good  health; 
he  is  yet  alive.''  And  they  bowed  down  their  heads.  Then 
Joseph  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  Benjamin,  his  mother's 
youngest  son,  and  said,  "Is  this  your  younger  brother  of 
whom  ye  spake  unto  me?"  And  he  said  to  Benjamin, 
"  God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son."  Joseph  was  so  over- 
come by  his  love  for  Benjamin  that  he  hastened  out  of  the 
room  where  he  could  weep  alone.  And  he  washed  his  face 
and  composed  himself  and  commanded  that  the  food  be 
served.  They  all  ate  and  were  merry,  and  Joseph  helped 
Benjamin  to  five  times  as  much  as  he  did  the  others. 

Then  Joseph  commanded  the  steward  to  fill  the  men's 
sacks  with  food,  and  to  put  each  man's  money  back  into  his 
sack,  and  to  put  his  silver  cup  into  the  sack  of  the  youngest. 
As  soon  as  the  morning  was  light  the  men  were  sent  away. 
And  when  they  w^re  gone  out  of  the  city  and  were  not  yet 
far  off,  Joseph  sent  a  servant  after  them  to  search  their  sacks 
for  his  silver  drinking-cup,  and  he  sent  word  that  the  one 
who  had  it  should  be  brought  back  to  him. 

Now  the  brothers  were  greatly  distressed  and  protested 
that  they  knew  nothing  of  the  cup.  What  was  their 
astonishment  at  finding  their  money  in  their  sacks  and  the 
cup  in  Benjamin's  sack!  Then  they  rent  their  clothes  and 
returned  to  the  city.  And  Judah  came  to  Joseph  and  fell 
on  the  ground  and  said,  "What  shall  we  say  unto  my  lord  ? 
or  how  shall  we  clear  ourselves  ?  God  hath  found  out  our 
sin,  behold  we  are  my  lord's  servants."  Then  Joseph  said, 
"Get  up  and  go  in  peace  unto  thy  father;  I  shall  keep  for 
my  servant  only  the  man  in  whose  sack  the  cup  was  found." 
And  Judah  came  near  to  Joseph  and  besought  him  that  he 
allow  Benjamin  to  return  to  their  father;  he  told  him  that 
he  had  promised  his  father  to  bring  the  lad  back  safely, 
and  that  it  would  kill  the  old  man  if  they  returned  without 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  25 

Benjamin.  "Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  let  thy  servant 
abide  as  a  bondman,  instead  of  the  lad."  Then  Joseph 
could  not  refrain  himself,  and  he  wept  before  his  brothers 
and  made  himself  known  to  them.  "I  am  Joseph,  do  ye 
not  know  me  ?  Is  my  father  yet  alive  ?  "  And  the  brothers 
were  troubled,  and  they  did  not  know  how  to  answer  him. 
"Come  near,  I  pray  you."  And  they  came  near,  and  he 
said  again,  "I  am  Joseph,  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into 
Egypt.  Now  be  not  grieved  nor  angry  with  yourselves 
that  ye  sold  me  hither,  for  God  did  send  me  before  you  to 
preserve  your  lives.  Haste  ye,  go  up  to  my  father,  and 
tell  him  that  Joseph,  his  son,  still  liveth,  and  bring  him 
down  unto  me."  And  Joseph  fell  upon  Benjamin's  neck  and 
kissed  him,  and  he  kissed  all  his  brothers,  and  they  were 
astonished,  for  they  knew  now  that  this  was  Joseph  whom 
they  had  sold. 

Now  the  word  was  spread  over  Pharaoh's  house  that 
Joseph's  brethren  had  come,  and  it  pleased  Pharaoh  greatly. 
He  came  in  where  they  were  and  said  unto  Joseph,  "This 
do  ye:  Say  to  your  brethren  that  they  are  commanded 
to  go  back  into  Canaan,  and  to  pack  all  their  household 
goods,  and  to  bring  their  father  and  their  families,  and  all 
their  flocks,  and  to  return  into  the  land  of  Eg5^t,  for  all 
the  good  of  the  land  shall  be  theirs.'* 

Then  the  brothers  were  joyful,  and  gave  thanks  unto 
Pharaoh  and  to  their  brother,  Joseph,  and  they  left  the 
city  to  go  back  to  their  father.  And  when  they  came  unto 
Jacob  and  told  him  all,  and  showed  him  the  wagons  which 
Joseph  had  sent  to  bring  him  down  into  Egypt,  his  soul 
rejoiced,  and  he  said,  "It  is  enough;  Joseph,  my  son,  is 
still  alive:  I  will  go  and  see  him  before  I  die." 

The  children  decided  that  it  would  take  a  great 
many  scenes  in  order  to  act  out  the  story  ade- 
quately.    At  first  they  mentioned  seven  or  eight. 


26    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

One  child  was  asked  to  describe  the  first  scene  as 
he  thought  it  ought  to  be,  and  several  others  added 
to  the  description.  Volunteers  were  then  called 
upon  to  act  it  out  then  and  there. 

The  first  scene  was  placed  in  front  of  Jacob's 
tent.  Jacob  is  anxiously  awaiting  the  return  of  his 
ten  sons  with  the  flocks.  He  becomes  worried 
because  they  do  not  come,  so  he  sends  Joseph  to 
seek  his  brothers.  Joseph  accepts  the  command 
and  leaves  the  tent. 

This  scene  was  acted  very  naturally  and  spon- 
taneously by  several  groups  of  children.  Each 
time  it  was  changed,  for  no  two  groups  of  children 
interpreted  the  action  or  words  alike. 

The  children  who  were  not  acting  were  made  to 
feel  their  responsibility  also,  for  they  were  asked  to 
make  note  of  the  best  parts.  A  general  discussion 
was  held  at  the  end  of  each  presentation,  in  which 
the  good  points  were  emphasized  and  suggestions 
were  given  as  to  improvement.  The  criticism  in 
all  of  this  work  comes  for  the  most  part  from  the 
children;  the  leader  in  charge  directs  it,  but  keeps 
from  imposing  her  opinions. 

As  the  meetings  of  this  dramatic  club  last  but 
one  hour,  nothing  more  could  be  done  than  work 
out  one  scene  at  this  first  time.  The  children  were 
asked  to  think  the  story  over  and  to  come  the  next 
Sunday  prepared  to  suggest  the  second  and  third 
scenes  in  detail. 


Dramatization  of  "Joseph"  27 

At  the  next  meeting  tne  second  and  third  scenes 
were  worked  out  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first. 

The  second  scene  places  Joseph  at  Shechem. 
Here  he  meets  the  man  who  tells  him  that  his 
brothers  have  gone  to  Dothan. 

In  the  third  scene  the  brothers  are  seated  on  the 
ground  eating  and  resting,  with  their  shepherd 
staffs  beside  them ;  they  begin  to  talk  about  Joseph 
and  to  tell  of  his  dream  and  their  hatred  of  him. 
Just  at  this  point  Joseph  runs  in  and  gives  his 
father's  message.  He  also  tells  of  his  experience 
in  Shechem  in  not  finding  them  there.  Then  the 
brothers  take  him  and  bind  him  and  throw  him 
into  the  pit.  The  caravan  comes  along  and 
Joseph  is  sold  and  taken  away.  After  the  brothers 
depart,  Reuben,  not  knowing  that  Joseph  has  been 
sold,  comes  back  to  the  pit,  hoping  to  help  him  out. 
When  he  finds  the  boy  gone,  he  weeps  and  goes 
sorrowfully  away.  (A  doorway  which  leads  ofT 
from  the  stage  at  the  back  was  used  for  the  pit. 
There  were  no  camels  in  the  caravan;  the  men 
walked  by.) 

During  the  next  hour  scenes  which  describe 
Joseph's  life  in  Egypt  were  roughly  blocked  out. 
The  children  made  up  their  words  as  they  acted 
the  parts.  The  language  at  this  stage  was  very 
modern,  but  for  the  time  being  the  emphasis  was 
placed  upon  the  thought  expressed  and  upon  the 
action. 


28    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Several  of  the  older  girls  volunteered  to  write  out 
the  first  few  scenes  in  order  to  bring  the  language 
into  better  form.  At  the  fourth  meeting  these 
were  brought  in  and  discussed  by  the  children. 
The  following  is  a  version  of  the  first  scene  just 
as  it  was  written  by  a  girl  of  twelve  years.  It  is 
given  here  that  the  contrast  may  be  seen  between 
this  as  a  piece  of  work  which  may  be  made  better 
and  the  final  play  at  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

SCENE   I 

Jacob:    It  is  time  my  sons  are  returning  with  their 
flocks.     See  if  thou  canst  see  them  coming. 
[Exit  servant.] 
First  Lady:    Yes,  they  have  been  gone  a  long  time.     We 
have  only  Joseph  and  Benjamin  with  us. 
[Enter  servant.] 
Jacob:    What  didst  thou  see  ? 
Servant:     Master,  I  saw  nothing  of  your  sons. 
Jacob:     I  shall  send  Joseph  after  them.     Bring  Joseph 
hither.     [Turns  to  another  servant.]     Bring  a  bag  of  food 
for  him  to  take  with  him  on  his  journey. 
[Servants  leave.    Jacob  looks  away,  hoping  to  see  his  sons.] 
Jacob:    I  do  not  see  them.     What  can  be  the  matter  ? 

[Enter  Joseph  with  servant.] 
Second  Lady:     Joseph  will  be  sure  to  find  them. 
Jacob:     Joseph,  my  son,  I  am  sending  thee  after  thy 
brethren.     Take    this   food   to    Shechem   and   bring    thy 
brethren  back  to  me. 

Joseph:    I  will  do  as  thou  bidst. 

[Jacob  stands  and  puts  his  hand  on  Joseph.] 
Jacob:    May  the  Lord  go  with  thee. 
End 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  29 

The  third  scene  was  written  by  a  girl  of  eleven 
years  and  was  as  follows : 

SCENE  in 
[All  brothers  look  down  the  road.] 
All  Brothers:    What  shall  we  do  with  him  ? 
Seventh  Brother:    I  know;  let's  kill  him! 
All  except  Reuben:    Yea!     Yea! 

Reuben:    Nay,  do  not  kill  him ;  let's  put  him  in  a  deep  pit. 
Tenth  Brother:    Well,  all  right. 

[Joseph  appears;  exit  Reuben.] 
Joseph:    Ah,  I  have  found  ye  at  last,  my  brethren. 

[All  grab  Joseph.] 
Joseph:    What  have  I  done  to  deserve  this  ? 
Fourth  Brother:     Get  some  rope! 
[Exit  sixth  brother  and  brings  some  rope  back  with  him. 
Eighth  and  ninth  brothers  bind  Joseph  with  ropes.     All 
take  hold  of  him  and  push  him  into  the  pit.] 
Tenth  Brother:    But  what  shall  we  tell  our  father  ? 
Eighth  Brother:    Let's  tell  him  that  Joseph  was  killed 
by  a  wild  beast. 

Ninth  Brother:    We  will  take  his  coat  of  many  colors, 
which  our  father  gave  him,  and  dip  it  in  the  blood  of  a  goat. 
All:    Yea!     Yea! 

{Seventh  brother  sees  some  merchants.] 
Seventh  Brother:    I  see  merchants  in  the  distance.     Let's 
sell  Joseph  to  them. 

[07ie  brother  goes  after  the  merchants,  while  the  others  bring 
Joseph /row  the  pit.     Merchants  enter.] 
Tenth  Brother:    What  will  ye  give  us  for  this  lad  ? 
Merchant:    I  guess  we  can  give  ye  about  twenty  pieces 
of  silver. 


30    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

[Merchants  take  Joseph  with  them.     Brothers  go  on  their 
way.    Enter   Reuben    after    his    brothers    have    gone. 
He  runs  to  the  pit.] 
Reuben:    Joseph !     Joseph !     Where  art  thou  ?     The  lad 
is  gone.     Whither  shall  I  go  ? 

[Reuben  goes  away,  sobbing  and  wringing  his  hands.] 
End 

At  the  meeting  when  these  were  read  the  chil- 
dren began  to  criticize  the  length  of  the  play.  One 
little  boy  made  the  remark,  "We  keep  telling  the 
same  things  over;  why  can't  we  leave  out  that 
second  scene?  It  is  so  short,  and  Joseph  could 
tell  his  brothers  in  the  third  scene  that  he  didn't 
find  them  at  Shechem."  This  suggestion  was 
readily  accepted,  and  as  a  consequence  the  second 
scene  was  omitted.  Then  the  entire  group  con- 
sciously worked  on  the  play  to  see  what  parts  were 
unnecessary.  Several  children  had  recently  been 
to  the  theater  and  had  seen  some  good  plays. 
They  told  the  others  that  there  were  few  scenes 
and  that  there  was  much  left  to  the  imagination 
of  the  audience.  The  result  was  that  this  long- 
drawn-out  play  was  cut  down  to  three  essential 
scenes.  The  first  scene  was  placed  at  Dothan,  and 
was  much  the  same  as  the  original  scene  iii.  The 
second  scene  was  placed  at  Pharaoh's  palace  where 
Joseph  was  brought  to  interpret  the  king's  dream. 
The  third  represented  the  brothers  coming  to 
Joseph  with  Benjamin,  the  youngest,  ending  with 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  31 

Joseph's  forgiveness  of  them  and  his  sending  for 
Jacob,  their  father. 

After  these  three  scenes  were  decided  upon,  the 
older  children  were  asked  to  begin  writing  them  out 
in  final  form. 

At  the  fifth  meeting  of  the  club  all  the  children 
sat  in  a  circle  with  Bibles  and  pencils  and  paper 
and,  together  with  the  leader,  they  formulated  the 
speeches,  making  them  conform  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible to  those  in  the  Bible.  The  work  that  had  been 
done  outside  was  discussed  and  built  upon.  This 
part  of  the  procedure  did  not  take  as  long  a  time 
as  it  may  seem,  because  the  children  knew  so  well 
what  thoughts  they  wanted  to  express — they  had 
lived  the  story  so  many  times.  They  practiced 
after  this,  using  the  words  they  had  decided  upon. 

For  the  next  meeting  or  two  the  children  acted 
out  the  play,  trying  each  time  to  improve  it  by 
better  interpretations  of  the  parts.  The  fact  that 
they  had  learned  definite  words  did  not  in  the  least 
check  the  freedom  of  the  action  or  cause  the  play 
to  lose  the  spontaneity  which  first  characterized 
it,  for  the  reason  that  the  story  had  quite  become 
a  part  of  the  children  before  they  decided  upon  the 
set  speeches. 

The  question  arose  as  to  which  children  should 
take  certain  parts.  In  some  instances  several 
wanted  to  learn  the  part  of  one  particular  char- 
acter.   They  were  each  given  the  opportunity  of 


32    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

learning  it,  and  then  at  the  next  meeting  each 
acted  it  as  best  he  or  she  could  before  the  group. 
The  other  children  were  judges  and  decided  upon 
the  one  who  seemed  to  represent  the  character 
best.  Whenever  this  method'  of  choosing  char- 
acters has  been  employed  there  has  never  been  any 
hard  feeling  on  the  part  of  a  child  because  he  was 
not  chosen.  The  justice  of  the  choice  is  quickly 
recognized  when  it  comes  in  this  way  rather  than 
from  the  leader. 

There  were  many  little  children  in  this  club  who 
were  scarcely  old  enough  to  learn  a  part  or  to  say 
very  much.  They  were  easily  worked  into  the 
caravan,  or  they  took  such  parts  as  servants  in 
Pharaoh's  court.  Each  child  was  made  to  feel  that 
one  part  was  just  as  important  as  another  and  that 
those  who  had  nothing  to  say  were  very  essential 
elements  because  of  their  acting. 

Eight  or  nine  meetings  were  needed  before  the 
play  was  entirely  finished.  The  children  had  very 
simple  slips  for  costumes  which  they  had  been  wear- 
ing at  each  rehearsal.  Bright-colored  sashes  and 
headdresses  they  brought  from  home.  Pharaoh 
was  more  gaily  dressed  than  the  others.  The  child 
who  took  the  part  made  for  himself  many  orna- 
ments from  gilt  paper. 

Very  httle  attention  was  given  to  stage  setting; 
what  was  used  was  extremely  simple.  A  few  of 
the  older  girls  made  designs  from  the  Egyptian 


Dramatization  of  "Joseph"  33 

lotus  to  stand  around  the  walls  of  Pharaoh's 
palace  or  to  be  carried  by  the  servants.  Colored 
illustrations  of  Bible  stories  by  Tissot  were  sug- 
gestive helps  in  these  details.  The  ten  brothers 
made  themselves  shepherd  staffs  from  hmbs  of 
trees.  This  small  amount  of  stage  setting  and 
costuming  was  used  at  many  rehearsals  and  was  all 
that  was  necessary  to  produce  the  right  atmosphere. 

As  soon  as  the  children  felt  that  the  play  repre- 
sented their  best  effort  they  invited  their  parents 
and  friends  and  presented  it  before  them  one 
Sunday  afternoon  at  the  time  for  the  regular 
meeting. 

It  happened  that  a  few  days  before  the  final 
presentation  four  of  the  principal  characters  were 
taken  ill  with  measles  and  chicken-pox.  Four 
others,  who  had  not  given  special  attention  to  these 
parts,  but  who  had  minor  parts,  assumed  the 
important  roles  and  went  straight  through  the 
play  with  no  trouble  whatever.  The  audience 
never  knew  the  difference  and  the  children  thought 
that  it  was  entirely  natural  that  they  should  be 
able  to  do  this.  The  play  all  the  way  through  was 
characterized  by  a  spirit  of  dignity  and  seriousness. 

As  direct  results  of  this  work  in  dramatization 
it  was  noted  that  all  the  children  had  acquired  a 
certain  freedom  of  expression,  a  self-confidence, 
without  conceit  or  too  much  sureness,  and  the 
ability   to   work   harmoniously   with   the   group. 


34    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

One  or  two  timid  children  learned  to  forget  them- 
selves, and  one  overconfident  child  was  helped 
by  seeing  that  others  could  learn  to  do  the  part 
even  a  little  better  than  herself. 

The  children  who  took  part  in  this  little  play  of 
Joseph  will  never  forget  it.  Several  years  after 
the  play  was  given  they  were  frequently  referring 
to  it  with  great  happiness.  Joseph  is  one  of  their 
favorite  characters  because  they  have  hved  through 
his  experiences  with  him. 

The  following  is  the  play  as  it  was  given  in  its 
final  form.  It  is  not  to  be  taken  as  a  play  which 
may  be  given  to  children  to  be  learned  as  it  is;  it 
is  given  here  that  there  may  be  some  idea  of  the 
standard  which  may  be  reached. 

JOSEPH 

SCENE  I 

Place:    Dothan. 

Characters:    Reuben,  Simeon,  Levi,  Judah,  Issachar, 
Zebulun,  Dan,  Naphtali,  Gad,  Asher,  Joseph,  Several 
Ishmaelitish  Merchants. 
[The  ten  brothers  are  sitting  and  lounging  on  the  ground, 
eating  bread.] 
Reuben:    Shall   we   stay   longer   in   this   place?    Our 
flocks  have  fed  well  in  Shechem  and  Dothan.     Let  us 
return  again  unto  Canaan  and  to  the  tent  of  our  father, 
Jacob. 

Judah:  Oh,  why  should  we  go  back?  Our  father  loveth 
us  not !    It  is  Joseph,  our  younger  brother,  that  he  favoreth! 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  35 

Levi:  Yes,  this  Joseph!  This  dreamer  of  dreams!  He 
thinketh  he  is  greater  than  we.  He  thinketh  he  shall  rule 
over  us ! 

Judah:  Ye  heard  him  when  he  said,  ''Hear  this  dream 
which  I  have  dreamed:  Behold,  we  were  binding  sheaves 
in  the  field,  and,  lo,  my  sheaf  arose,  and  stood  upright; 
and,  behold,  your  sheaves  stood  round  about,  and  bowed 
down  to  my  sheaf." 

Simeon:  Ha!  Shall  he  indeed  reign  over  us?  Or 
shall  he  have  dominion  over  us  ? 

Levi:  Yea,  and  he  dreamed  yet  another  dream,  for  he 
said,  ''Behold,  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  eleven  stars 
bowed  down  unto  me." 

Dan:  What  is  this  dream  which  he  has  dreamed? 
Shall  his  mother  and  father  and  eleven  brethren  indeed 
come  to  bow  down  themselves  to  him  ? 

Simeon:  Joseph  and  his  dreams  are  hateful  unto  me! 
I  was  glad  when  our  father  said  to  us,  "Take  the  flocks  to 
feed  in  Shechem,"  for  now  we  are  free  of  him. 

Levi:  It  seemeth  to  me  that  I  see  this  Joseph,  this 
dreamer  whom  we  hate.  He  is  yet  afar  off,  but  he  surely 
approacheth  us ! 

Reuben:    Can  it  be  he  ? 

Dan:  Yes,  for  I  see  the  coat  of  many  colors,  the  coat 
our  father  made  for  his  favorite  son. 

Levi:  Why  should  he  come  to  us  ?  Cannot  our  father 
trust  the  flocks  to  our  hands  without  sending  this  Joseph 
to  spy  on  us  ? 

Dan:    It  is  he !    It  is  Joseph ! 
•     Simeon:    What  shall  we  do  ? 

Judah:  Our  time  is  come.  We  despise  him;  let  us 
slay  him. 

Reuben:    Nay,  thou  dost  not  mean  to  slay  him! 

Several:    Nay!     Nay! 


2,6    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Judah:  We  must  surely  slay  him.  We  must  rid  our- 
selves of  this  dreamer.  Think  how  he  said  he  should  reign 
over  us!    Let  us  be  rid  of  him! 

Simeon:    Yes,  thou  art  right — we  must  slay  him. 

Several:  Yea,  yea,  slay  him!  Destroy  him!  He  shall 
dream  no  more  such  dreams ! 

Simeon:  Behold,  this  dreamer  cometh  near!  Come, 
now,  and  let  us  slay  him,  and  cast  him  into  some  pit,  and 
we  will  say,  "Some  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him,"  and  we 
shall  see  what  will  become  of  his  dreams. 

Reuben:    Let  us  not  kill  him.     Shed  no  blood,  but  cast 

him  into  this  pit  that  is  in  the  wilderness,  and  lay  no  hand 

upon  him. 

[Reuben  goes  away.] 

[Joseph  runs  up.     Gad  lays  one  hand  roughly  on  his  shoulder.] 

Gad:  How  comes  it  that  thou  art  here  ?  What  is  thy 
business  ? 

Joseph:  My  father  commanded  me  and  said,  "Go,  I 
pray  thee,  and  see  whether  it  be  well  with  thy  brethren  and 
well  with  the  flocks;  and  bring  me  word  again."  So  he 
sent  me  out  of  the  vale  of  Hebron,  and  I  came  to  Shechem. 
And  you  were  not  there,  and  I  came  on  after  you  and  found 
you  here.  What  troubleth  you?  Hath  ought  happened 
to  the  flocks  ? 

Simeon:  Hear  his  tale!  This  dreamer  of  dreams!  So 
he  would  reign  over  us,  would  he!  Strip  him  of  his  coat 
of  many  colors!    This  favored  son! 

[Brothers  hind  Joseph  and  cast  him  into  the  pit.] 

Joseph:    What  have  I  done  to  deserve  this  ? 
[Brothers  sit  down  again  to  eat  iheir  bread.] 

Gad:    Behold,  I  see  a  caravan! 

Simeon:    From  what  country  ? 

Gad:  It  is  a  company  of  Ishmaelites,  from  Gilead,  with 
their  camels,  bearing  spicery  and  balm  and  myrrh,  going 
down  into  Egypt. 


Dramatization  of  ^'Joseph"  37 

Judah:  What  doth  it  profit  if  we  slay  our  brother  and 
conceal  his  blood?  Come,  let  us  sell  him  to  these  Ish- 
maelites  and  let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him,  for  he  is  our 
brother  and  our  flesh. 

Several:    So  be  it. 

Gad:    Hail  the  caravan,  and  bargain  with  these  men. 

Simeon  [salutes  the  head  man  of  the  caravan;  the  brothers 
listen  attentively;  Gad  hrings  Joseph  out  of  the  pit] :  What 
wilt  thou  give  us  in  exchange  for  this  lad  ?  We  would  sell 
him. 

Merchant  [looks  Joseph  over,  then  consults  with  his  men]: 
Twenty  pieces  of  silver  will  we  give  for  him. 

Simeon  [to  the  brothers]:  These  merchants  will  give  us 
twenty  pieces  of  silver  for  this  dreamer. 

All:    Sell  him!    Sell  him! 

[Joseph  is  taken  over  by  the  merchants  and  they  all  move  on. 
The  brothers  are  dividing  out  the  money.] 

Gad:  The  lad  is  gone  with  the  merchants,  but  what 
excuse  shall  we  make  unto  our  father  ? 

Simeon:  Say  unto  him  that  a  wild  beast  hath  devoured 
him.  Here  is  his  coat  of  many  colors — we  will  kill  a  goat 
and  dip  the  coat  in  the  blood!  Then  our  father,  Jacob, 
will  grieve  for  his  son ! 

All:    As  thou  sayest,  so  let  us  do! 

[Brothers  move  off  stage,  discussing  the  money.    Reuben 

comes  back.    He  runs  and  looks  in  the  pit.    He  tears  his 

clothes  when  he  finds  that  Joseph  is  not  there.] 

Reuben:    The  child  is  not,  and  I,  whither  shall  I  go  ? 

scene  II 

Place:    Egypt.    In  Pharaoh's  palace. 
Characters:     Pharaoh,    Joseph,    Wise    Men,     Chief 
Butler,  Servants. 

[Pharaoh  is  sitting  on  his  throne;   many  wise  men  come  in 
and  bow  down  before  him.] 


38     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Pharaoh:  Arise,  O  wise  men  of  Egypt!  I  have  sent 
for  you  this  day  because  of  a  dream  which  troubleth  me. 

[Men  stand  tip.] 

Wise  Men:    What  is  thy  dream,  O  King  ? 

King:  I  dreamed,  and,  behold,  I  stood  by  a  river,  and 
there  came  up  out  of  the  river  seven  fat  cows,  and  they 
fed  in  a  meadow.  And,  behold,  seven  other  cows  came  up 
after  them  out  of  the  river,  ill  favored  and  lean.  And  the 
ill-favored  and  lean  cows  did  eat  up  the  seven  well-favored 
and  fat  cows.  Then  did  I  awake,  but  the  second  time  I 
slept  and  dreamed.  And,  behold,  seven  good  ears  of  corn 
came  up  upon  one  stalk,  and,  behold,  seven  thin  ears 
sprung  up  after  them,  and  the  seven  thin  ears  devoured 
the  seven  full  ears.  And  I  awoke  again,  and,  behold,  it 
was  a  dream.  Now,  is  there  one  among  you  who  can  tell 
me  the  meaning  of  these  dreams,  for  my  spirit  is  troubled 
because  of  them  ? 

[The  wise  men  in  turn  come  out  and  how  before  the  king 
and  say]: 

First  Wise  Man:  O  my  lord  King,  thy  dream  troubleth 
me,  but  I  am  not  able  to  interpret  it. 

Second  Wise  Man:  O  King,  also,  I  cannot  tell  thee  the 
meaning  of  thy  dream. 

Third  Wise  Man:  IMost  gracious  King,  I,  also,  am 
unable  to  interpret  thy  dream. 

Fourth  Wise  Man:  O  great  Pharaoh,  I  regret  that  I 
am  unable  to  help  thee. 

Pharaoh  [angrily] :    Are  ye  called  the  wise  men  of  Egj^t, 
and  yet  are  ye  not  able  to  interpret  a  dream  ? 
[The  chief  butler  comes  forward  and  falls  before  the  king.] 

Butler:  O  great  King,  I  am  only  thy  chief  butler,  but 
I  beg  of  thee  allow  me  to  speak. 

King:    Speak,  butler,  what  wouldst  thou  say  ? 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  39 

Butler:  O  King,  I  do  remember  my  faults  this  day. 
When  Pharaoh  was  wroth  with  his  servants  and  put  me 
in  prison,  both  me  and  the  chief  baker,  behold,  we  dreamed 
a  dream  in  one  night,  and  there  was  a  young  man,  a  Hebrew, 
and  we  told  him,  and  he  interpreted  to  us  our  dream.  And 
it  came  to  pass  as  he  interpreted  unto  us,  for  I  was  restored 
unto  mine  office  and  the  baker  was  hanged. 

Pharaoh:  Send  for  this  young  Hebrew;  bring  him  into 
my  presence.  [Servant  goes  out  for  Joseph.]  Butler,  who 
is  this  boy  that  interpreted  thy  dream  ? 

Butler:  His  name  is  Joseph,  O  King.  He  was  brought 
down  from  Canaan  by  a  caravan  and  was  sold  to  Potiphar, 
the  captain  of  Pharaoh's  guard.  But  he  displeased  Potiphar, 
so  he  was  thrown  into  prison  at  the  time  thy  servants  were 
there. 
[Enter  Joseph.    He  falls  on  his  face  before  Pharaoh.] 

Pharaoh:  I  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and  there  is  none 
that  can  interpret  it,  and  I  have  heard  say  of  thee  that  thou 
canst  understand  a  dream  to  interpret  it. 

[Joseph  rises.] 

Joseph:  It  is  not  in  me;  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an 
answer  of  peace. 

Pharaoh:     [Repeats  his  dream  to  Joseph.] 

[Joseph  conies  nearer  to  Pharaoh.] 

Joseph:  What  God  is  about  to  do  he  sheweth  unto 
Pharaoh:  Behold,  there  will  come  seven  years  of  great 
plenty  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  there  shall 
arise  after  them  seven  years  of  famine.  And  all  the  plenty 
shall  be  forgotten  throughout  Egypt,  and  the  famine  shall 
consume  the  land,  and  it  shall  be  very  grievous.  Now 
therefore  let  Pharaoh  look  out  a  man  discreet  and  wise  and 
set  him  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  let  him  appoint  officers 
over  the  land.     And  let  them  gather  all  the  food  of  those 


40    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

good  years  that  come,  and  lay  up  corn  under  the  hand  of 
Pharaoh.  And  let  them  keep  food  in  the  cities.  And 
that  food  shall  be  stored  against  the  seven  years  of  famine, 
that  the  land  may  not  perish  through  famine. 

Pharaoh:  This  plan  seemeth  good  unto  me.  Can  we 
find  such  a  one  as  this  is,  a  man  in  whom  the  spirit  of  God  is  ? 

The  Wise  Men:    Nay,  O  King,  he  is  most  wise. 

Pharaoh:  Forasmuch  as  God  hath  shewed  thee  all  this, 
thou  shalt  be  over  my  house,  and  according  to  thy  word 
shall  all  my  people  be  ruled,  only  in  the  throne  will  I  be 
greater  than  thou.  See,  I  have  set  thee  over  all  the  land  of 
Egypt.  [To  his  servants:]  Bring  a  golden  chain,  and  fine 
raiment  for  this  man. 

[He  puts  a  ring  on  Joseph's  hand.     When  the  clothes  arc 

brought  they  are  put  around  him,  the 

chain  on  his  neck,  etc.] 

Pharaoh:  Thou  shalt  ride  in  the  second  chariot  and  all 
my  people  shall  bow  the  knee  unto  thee.  [.4//  people  in  the 
room  how.]  I  am  Pharaoh,  and  without  thee  shall  no  man 
lift  up  his  hand  or  foot  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

Joseph:    May  the  Lord  God  give  me  power  to  do  his  will. 

SCENE   III 

Place:     Pharaoh's  palace. 

Characters:    Joseph,  His  Eleven  Brothers,  Servants, 
Pharaoh. 
[Joseph  is  seated  on  his  high  seat.    A  servant  comes  in.] 

Servant:  Master,  the  men  that  came  down  from  Canaan 
to  buy  food  of  thee  have  returned  and  would  have  a  word 
with  thee. 

Joseph:    Bring    them    in.     [To    another    servant]:     Go 
see  that  a  feast  is  prepared  for  these  men. 
[The  brothers  enter  bringing  Benjamin.     They  all  fall  on 
their  faces.] 


Dramatization  of  ''Joseph"  41 

Joseph:  Arise!  And  have  you  returned  bringing  with 
you  your  youngest  brother  ? 

Reuben:  O  sir,  we  have  brought  our  youngest  brother; 
he  is  here. 

[Benjamin  is  led  forward.    Joseph  goes  near  and  puts  his 
hand  on  Benjamin.] 

Joseph:  And  is  this  your  younger  brother  of  whom  ye 
spake  unto  me?  God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son! 
[To  the  brothers:]  Is  your  father  well,  the  old  man  of  whom 
ye  spake  ?    Is  he  yet  alive  ? 

Levi:  Thy  servant,  our  father  [all  bow  heads],  is  in  good 
health;  he  is  yet  alive. 

[Joseph  turns  away  and  begins  to  weep;    he  leaves  them 

abruptly  and  walks  to  the  other 

side  of  the  room.] 

Joseph  [to  the  servants]:  Cause  every  man  to  go  out 
from  me!  [All  begin  to  leave  the  room,  brothers  included.] 
[To  the  brothers.  He  walks  quickly  after  them  and  holds 
his  arms  out  toward  them.]  Stay!  I  am  Joseph;  doth  my 
father  yet  live?  Come  near  to  me,  I  pray  you.  [They 
come  somewhat  nearer  and  fall  to  the  ground.]  I  am  Joseph, 
your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt.  Now,  therefore, 
be  not  grieved  nor  angry  with  yourselves,  that  ye  sold  me 
thither,  for  God  did  send  me  before  you  to  preserve  life. 
For  these  two  years  hath  the  famine  been  in  the  land;  and 
yet  there  are  five  years  more.  God  hath  sent  me  before 
you  to  save  your  lives.  Haste  ye,  and  go  up  to  my  father, 
and  say  unto  him,  "Thus  saith  thy  son  Joseph,  God  hath 
made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt.  Come  down  unto  me,  and  tarry 
not.  And  thou  shalt  be  near  unto  me,  thou  and  thy  chil- 
dren, and  thy  flocks,  and  thy  herds  and  all  thou  hast."  Oh, 
do  you  not  see  that  I  am  Joseph  that  speak  unto  you? 
[lie  weeps  again  and  turns  away.] 


42    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 


Dramatization  or  *' Joseph"  43 

Brothers:  Joseph,  our  brother  Joseph!  Can  he  for- 
give us  ? 

[Pharaoh  enters  here.] 

Joseph:  O  King,  these  are  my  brethren,  and  from  my 
father's  tent. 

Pharaoh:  Say  unto  thy  brethren:  "This  do  ye:  Go 
back  unto  the  land  of  Canaan  and  take  your  father  and 
your  household  goods,  and  come  unto  me.  And  I  will 
give  you  the  good  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  ye  shall  eat 
of  the  fat  of  the  land.  Now  ye  are  commanded:  This  do 
ye:  Take  ye  wagons  out  of  Egypt  for  your  little  ones,  and 
for  your  wives,  and  bring  your  father,  and  come,  for  the 
good  of  the  land  shall  be  yours." 

One  Brother:  We  thank  thee,  O  great  Pharaoh,  and  our 
brother  Joseph.  This  is  greater  than  we  deserve.  We  will 
bring  our  father  down  straightway. 

Joseph:    Praise  be  to  God  who  has  done  this  good  thing! 

End 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  DAVID  AND  GOLIATH 

When  beginning  dramatic  work  with  a  group  of 
children  who  have  never  had  the  training  before, 
it  is  always  well  to  select  as  the  first  story  to  be 
dramatized  one  that  is  short,  simple  in  structure, 
and  full  of  action.  If  children  undertake  a  long 
story  which  involves  complicated  situations,  they 
easily  become  discouraged  and  lose  the  joy  and 
spontaneity  which  are  essential  elements  in  suc- 
cessful dramatizations.  Fables,  such  as  ''The  Boy 
and  the  Wolf"  or  ''The  Fox  and  the  Grapes/' 
are  excellent  to  begin  with,  because  they  contain 
the  necessary  qualities  which  make  up  a  good  short 
story.  Situations  as  simple  as  those  which  are 
presented  in  these  fables  are  entered  into  with 
great  freedom,  and  they  seem  to  pave  the  way  for 
more  ambitious  dramatizations. 

The  story  of  David  and  Goliath  is  short,  simple, 
and  yet  contains  vivid  action.  It  was  chosen  as 
one  of  the  first  stories  to  be  given  to  the  dramatic 
club  because  of  these  qualities.  After  the  children 
had  gone  through  the  experience  of  dramatizing 
it  they  had  gained  a  self-confidence  and  a  reahza- 
tion  of  their  own  power  in  interpreting  a  story 
through  dramatization. 

44 


Dramatization  of  ''David  and  Goliath"   45 

The  methods  employed  in  presenting  David  and 
Goliath  were  much  the  same  as  those  described  in 
connection  with  Joseph.  The  point  that  must  be 
kept  in  mind  in  all  of  this  work  is  that  the  drama- 
tization of  a  story  begins  with  the  action  and  that 
the  words  are  developed.  The  play  is  never 
written  first  and  acted  afterward. 

While  telling  the  story  the  leader  placed  much 
emphasis  upon  the  activities  and  ideals  of  the 
shepherd  life  of  the  Hebrews  in  the  time  of  David. 
The  children  made  their  own  armor — helmets, 
swords,  shields — from  cardboard  and  colored  pa- 
pers. Pictures  and  descriptions  which  they  secured 
helped  them  to  get  correct  ideas  as  to  shapes  and 
decorations. 

The  costumes  were  simple  little  slips  that  could 
be  belted  in  at  the  waist,  and  came  only  to  the 
knees.  The  children  helped  to  plan  and  make 
them.  David  made  his  shepherd  staff  from  a  limb 
of  a  tree,  and  the  soldiers  made  their  spears  by 
fastening  gilded  points  to  long  sticks. 

A  question  arose  as  to  how  the  sling  was 
made.  The  children  found,  upon  looking  up 
this  point,  that  the  sling  was  woven  from  differ- 
ent colored  ^  wools.  From  a  good  picture  they 
constructed  looms  from  cardboard  and  actually 
wove  several  slings  like  David's.  Fig.  14  shows 
a  diagram  of  the  loom  as  the  children  worked 
it  out. 


46     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

A  very  great  value  was  derived  from  this  con- 
struction work,  in  that  it  came  entirely  from  the 
children;  it  was  an  outgrowth  of  their  genuine 
Interest  in  the  subject.  They  were  reliving  the 
same  experiences  and  solving  the  same  problems 
that  had  confronted  David. 

The  gentle  spirit  of  David  had  a  direct  influence 
upon  the  whole  group.  It  made  no  difference  what 
part  a  child  interpreted — whether  that  of  Goliath 
or  of  one  of  the  brothers — it  was  evident  that 
David's  high  ideals  and  sweetness  of  character 
called  forth  admiration. 

Fig.  2  gives  one  of  the  scenes  from  David  and 
Goliath.     The  play  follows  as  it  was  given. 

DAVID  AND  GOLIATH 

Characters:     David,   David's  Three  Brothers,   King 
Saul,  Goliath,  Israelite  Soldiers,  Philistine  Soldiers. 

SCENE   I.      THE   CHALLENGE 

Place:    On  the  battlefield. 

First  Brother:  Have  ye  seen  this  Philistine  who  is  come 
up,  this  giant  who  has  defied  the  armies  of  the  living  God  ? 

Second  Brother:    Who  has  seen  him  ? 

Third  Brother:  I  have  seen  him;  he  is  verily  a  giant. 
His  height  is  six  cubits  and  a  span.  He  weareth  an  helmet 
of  brass  upon  his  head,  and  he  is  armed  with  a  coat  of  mail, 
and  he  hath  greaves  of  brass  upon  his  legs,  and  the  staff  of 
his  spear  is  like  the  weaver's  beam;  and  one  bearing  a 
shield  goeth  before  him.  Our  soldiers  are  truly  afraid. 
They  flee  as  he  approacheth. 


Dramatization  of  ''David  and  Goliath"    47 


48     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Goliath  [apart  from  the  king  and  soldiers] :  Why  are  ye 
come  out  to  gather  your  armies  to  battle?  Am  I  not  a 
Philistine,  and  ye  sefvants  to  Saul?  Choose  you  a  man 
for  you,  and  let  him  come  down  to  me.  If  he  be  able  to 
fight  with  me,  and  to  kill  me,  then  will  we  be  your  servants; 
but  if  I  prevail  against  him  and  kill  him,  then  shall  ye  be 
our  servants  and  serve  us.  I  defy  the  armies  of  Israel  this 
day;  give  me  a  man,  that  we  may  fight  together. 
[Soifie  of  the  soldiers  turn  and  flee.] 

Saul:  Hear  the  words  of  this  Philistine.  I  know  not 
what  we  can  do.  Have  we  no  man  among  us  with  the 
strength  or  boldness  to  fight  this  giant  ?  I  will  enrich  him 
with  great  riches. 

Second  Brother:  In  truth,  he  is  a  mighty  giant,  O  King. 
Our  soldiers  are  greatly  dismayed;  no  one  will  accept  this 
challenge. 

[The  king  and  two  soldiers  go  out.    Enter  David.     He  runs 
up  to  his  brothers  and  salutes  them.] 

First  Brother:  This  is  David,  our  younger  brother! 
How  Cometh  it  that  thou  art  here  ? 

Second  Brother:    I  thought  we  left  thee  tending  the  sheep. 

Third  Brother:  What  news  dost  thou  bring  of  our 
father  ?    Is  all  well  with  him  ? 

David:  My  father  commanded  me,  saying,  "Take  now 
for  thy  brethren  this  parched  corn  and  these  ten  loaves, 
and  run  to  the  camp  of  thy  brethren;  and  carry  these  ten 
cheeses  unto  the  captain  of  their  thousand,  and  look  how 
thy  brethren  fare."  And  I  rose  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  left  the  sheep  with  a  keeper,  and  came  as  my  father 
commanded. 

[Brothers  take  food  from  David,] 

Goliath:  Why  are  ye  come  out  to  gather  your  armies 
to  battle  ?    Am  I  not  a  Philistine,  and  ye  servants  to  Saul  ? 


Dramatization  of  ''David  and  Goliath"   49 

Choose  you  a  man  for  you  and  let  him  come  down  to  me. 
If  he  be  able  to  fight  with  me  and  to  kill  me,  then  will  we  be 
your  servants;  but  if  I  prevail  against  him  and  kill  him,  then 
shall  ye  be  our  servants  and  serve  us.  I  defy  the  armies  of 
Israel  this  day;  give  me  a  man,  that  we  may  fight  together. 
[David  listens.     The  soldiers  seem  disturbed  and  frightened.] 

David:    What  meaneth  this  ? 

Soldier  [walks  up  to  David]  :  Have  ye  seen  this  man  who 
is  come  up  ?  Surely  to  defy  Israel  is  he  come  up.  And 
it  shall  be  that  the  man  who  killeth  him  the  king  will  enrich 
with  great  riches,  and  will  give  him  his  daughter,  and  make 
his  father's  house  free  in  Israel. 

David:  Who  is  this  Philistine  that  he  should  defy  the 
armies  of  the  living  God  ? 

First  Brother  [showing  anger  against  David]:  Why 
camest  thou  hither  ?  And  with  whom  hast  thou  left  those 
few  sheep  in  the  wilderness  ?  I  know  thy  pride,  and  the 
naughtiness  of  thy  heart ;  for  thou  art  come  down  that  thou 
mightest  see  the  battle. 

David:  What  have  I  now  done  ?  [He  turns  from  his 
brothers  and  speaks  to  the  people.]  What  shall  be  done  with 
the  man  that  killeth  this  Philistine  and  taketh  away  the 
reproach  from  Israel?  For  who  is  this  Philistine  that  he 
should  defy  the  armies  of  the  living  God  ?  I  will  fight  him, 
and  if  I  prevail  against  him  and  kill  him,  then  will  the 
Philistines  be  our  servants  and  serve  us.  The  Lord  God 
of  Israel  will  deliver  him  into  my  hands. 

Soldiers:     Saul,  the  king,  shall  hear  these  words! 

SCENE   II.      DAVID    BEFORE    SAUL 

Place:     Saul's  tent. 

David  [comes  in  and  salutes  the  king]:  Let  no  man's 
heart  fail  because  of  this  giant;  thy  servant  will  go  and 
fight  with  this  Philistine. 


50     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Saul:  Thou  art  not  able  to  go  against  this  PhiKstine 
to  fight  with  him ;  for  thou  art  but  a  youth,  and  he  a  man  of 
war  from  his  youth. 

David:  Thy  servant  kept  his  father's  sheep,  and  when 
there  came  a  lion  or  a  bear,  and  took  a  lamb  out  of  the 
flock,  I  went  out  after  him  and  smote  him,  and  delivered  it 
out  of  his  mouth;  and  when  he  rose  up  against  me,  I  caught 
him  by  the  beard  and  smote  him  and  slew  him.  Thy 
servant  slew  both  the  lion  and  the  bear;  and  this  Philistine 
shall  be  as  one  of  them,  seeing  he  hath  defied  the  armies  of 
the  living  God.  The  Lord  that  hath  delivered  me  out  of  the 
paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw  of  the  bear,  he  will 
deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this  Philistine. 

Saul:     Go,  and  the  Lord  go  with  thee.     [To  soldiers]: 
Bring  forth  armor;    this  youth  must  be  ready  to  meet 
the  foe. 
[The  soldiers  bring  armor.     Saul  puts  the  armor,  a  helmet 

and  a  coat  of  mail,  on  David.     David  puts  on  his  sword, 

then  walks  a  few  steps.    He  suddenly  throws  the  sword  down 

and  begins  to  take  of  the  armor.] 

David:  I  cannot  go  with  these,  for  I  have  not  proved 
them.  [He  takes  the  armor  of  and  keeps  only  his  shepherd's 
staf  and  sling.]  The  Lord  that  delivered  me  out  of  the 
paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw  of  the  bear,  he  will 
deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this  Phihstine. 

[He  bows  to  the  king  and  goes  out.] 

SCENE   III.      THE   BATTLE 

Place:  The  battlefield. 
[David  picks  up  five  smooth  stones  and  puts  them  into  his 
shepherd  bag.  Goliath  comes  toward  him.  He  is 
dressed  in  armor,  and  the  man  that  bears  his  shield  comes 
before  him.  Goliath  looks  surprised  and  disgusted  when 
he  sees  David.] 


Dramatization  of  ''David  and  Goliath''    51 

Goliath:  Am  I  a  dog  that  thou  comest  to  me  with 
staves?  Come  to  me  and  I  will  give  thy  flesh  unto  the 
fowls  of  the  air  and  unto  the  beasts  of  the  field. 

David:  Thou  comest  to  me  with  a  sword,  and  with  a 
spear  and  with  a  shield;  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  whom  thou  hast  defied. 
This  day  will  the  Lord  deliver  thee  into  mine  hand;  and  I 
will  smite  thee,  and  take  thy  head  from  thee;  and  I  will 
give  the  bodies  of  the  Philistines  unto  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
and  unto  the  beasts  of  the  field,  that  all  may  know  that  there 
is  a  God  in  Israel.  And  all  this  assembly  shall  know  that 
the  Lord  saveth  not  with  the  sword  and  with  the  spear,  for 
the  battle  is  the  Lord's  and  he  will  give  you  into  our  hands! 
[David  puts  his  hand  into  his  hag  and  takes  out  a  stone  and 

slings  it,  so  that  it  hits  the  giant  in  the  forehead.     The 

giant  Jails.     The  Philistines  flee.     David  stands  with  his 

foot  on  the  body  of  the  giant.] 

Israelite  Soldiers  with  David:     The  battle  is  the  Lord's! 

End 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  MOSES  IN  THE 
BULRUSHES 

The  method  of  presenting  the  story  of  Moses 
in  the  Bulrushes  differed  somewhat  from  that  em- 
ployed with  Joseph.  There  was  Httle  need  to  tell 
the  story  at  the  beginning,  for  every  child  already 
knew  it  in  detail.  Consequently  the  leader  had 
the  children  tell  most  of  it,  while  she  supplemented 
and  directed  attention  to  important  parts. 

In  this  case  the  entire  play  was  planned  roughly 
before  any  of  it  was  acted.  The  story  was  criti- 
cized by  the  children  as  to  its  organization  and 
unity,  and  as  a  result  they  made  up  an  ending 
(Act  III)  which  they  felt  was  needed  to  make  the 
story  complete.  Experience  with  the  other  plays 
had  led  the  children  to  feel  the  necessity  for  having 
a  satisfactory  ending  after  the  climax. 

At  the  second  meeting  several  girls  brought 
in  the  scenes  as  they  had  written  them  out.  They 
had  tried  to  embody  the  points  which  the  children 
had  decided  upon  as  the  general  plan  of  the  play. 
The  final  play  varies  very  little  from  these  scenes 
thus  written  by  the  girls  themselves. 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  solving  the  problem 
as  to  what  they  would  do  for  a  baby  in  the  first 

52 


Dramatization  of  ''Moses"  53 

part  of  the  play.  Many  dolls  were  brought  in, 
and  the  choice  fell  upon  the  one  that  received  the 
largest  number  of  votes  because  of  his  likeness 
to  the  baby  Moses.  A  woven  basket  served  for 
the  cradle  of  bulrushes.  There  were  many  re- 
hearsals when  there  was  no  doll  or  cradle,  but  the 
children  never  felt  the  lack.  Their  imaginations 
can  supply  all  needs. 

A  few  big  Egyptian  designs  were  made  for  the 
first  and  last  scenes,  which  were  placed  in  the  king's 
court.  These  were  fastened  on  the  walls  and  around 
the  king's  seat,  as  was  done  in  the  play  of  Joseph. 

Before  the  play  was  given  before  parents  and 
friends  the  children  decided  to  call  it  The  Childhood 
of  Moses.  An  older  boy  in  the  church  printed 
programs  for  the  occasion  that  the  audience  might 
better  understand  the  play.     They  read  as  follows  * 

The  Childhood  of  Moses 

Dramatized  and  Presented  by  the  Children's  Dramatic  Club 
of  the  Hyde  Park  Church  of  Disciples 

CHARACTERS 

Pharaoh King  of  Egypt 

Princess Pharaoh's  Daughter 

Moses A  Hebrew  Boy 

Hebrew  Woman Mother  of  Moses 

Miriam Sister  of  Moses 

Aaron Brother  of  Moses 

Wise  Men Advisers  of  Pharaoh 

Soldiers,     Attendants     to     the     Princess, 
Servants 


54     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

SYNOPSIS    OF   SCENES 

Act  I.  Pharaoh  orders  the  killing  of  Hebrew  boys. 
Act  II,  Scene  i.  In  the  home  of  a  Hebrew  family. 

Scene  2.  A  Hebrew  mother  hides  her  child  among 
the  bulrushes. 

Scene  3.  The  child  is  found  by  Pharaoh's  daughter. 
Act  III.  Moses  is  brought  to  Pharaoh's  court. 

The  following  is  the  play  as  it  was  given: 

THE  CHILDHOOD  OF  MOSES 
Act  I 

Characters:    King,  Wise  Man,  Chief  Adviser,  Queen, 
Maids,  and  Soldiers. 

King:  Behold,  the  people  of  the  children  of  Israel  are 
more  and  mightier  than  we.  Come,  let  us  do  wisely  with 
them  lest  they  rise  up  and  make  war  against  us. 

Chief  Adviser:  What  more  can  we  do  than  we  have 
already  done  ?  We  have  made  their  lives  bitter  with  hard 
service,  and  we  have  made  them  carry  our  brick  and  mortar 
and  work  in  our  fields. 

Wise  Man:    O  King  Pharaoh,  I  beg  thee  to  let  me  speak. 

King:     Speak,  Wise  Man. 

Wise  Man:  O  King,  I  pray  thee  to  be  kind  to  these 
people.  When  these  Hebrews  first  came  down  from  the 
land  of  Canaan,  a  young  man  named  Joseph  saved  our  land 
from  great  famine.  These  Israelites  are  his  children's 
children  and  we  should  treat  them  kindly. 

King:  Treat  them  kindly!  We  have  been  kind  to  them 
long  enough;  we  must  destroy  them.  I  will  command  that 
every  Hebrew  boy  baby  be  killed! 

[Exeunt  King  and  courtiers  followed  by  soldiers.] 

Princess:  O  most  gracious  father,  have  mercy  upon  them. 


Dramatization  of  ''Moses"  55 

Act  II 

SCENE  I 

Place  :    The  home  of  a  Hebrew  family. 

Characters  :  Moses,  Mother  of  Moses,  Miriam,  Aaron. 
[The  mother  is  singing  to  the  baby  in  her  lap.  Aaron  is 
playing  on  the  floor.     Miriam  runs  in.] 

Miriam:  O  mother!  The  king  has  commanded  that 
all  the  boy  babies  be  thrown  in  the  river!  How  can  we  save 
our  baby  ? 

Mother:  Where  shall  we  take  him  ?  I  have  hidden  him 
for  these  three  months,  but  he  is  so  big  now  and  his  cries 
are  so  loud  that  they  will  be  sure  to  find  him  wherever  we  go. 

Miriam:  Come  quickly,  mother;  we  will  go  to  the  river 
and  hide  him  nearby.  Pharaoh  cannot  find  him  there, 
for  he  will  think  that  he  has  been  thrown  in  the  water. 

Mother:    O  my  poor  baby ! 

[The  three  run  out.] 

SCENE  II 

Place:    The  river  bank. 

Characters:    Moses,  Mother  of  Moses,  Miriam. 
[The  mother  appears  with  the  baby  in  her  arms.     Miriam 
Jollows.] 

Miriam:  O  mother!  We  can  hide  him  in  these  tall 
grasses ! 

Mother:  But  I  must  have  something  to  put  him  in. 
Gather  these  rushes  and  I  will  weave  a  little  cradle  for  him, 
[They  both  pick  bulrushes  and  the  mother  weaves  the  basket.] 

Mother:  How  can  I  Ifeave  him  here  alone  ?  My  little 
daughter,  will  you  stay  and  watch  and  bring  me  word 
quickly  if  anything  happens?  We  will  hide  the  baby  in 
this  basket  among  the  flags,  here  at  the  edge  of  the  water. 


56     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Miriam:     Good!     Mother,  I  will  hide  nearby  and  see 
that  no  harm  comes  to  our  baby. 

[The  mother  kisses  the  baby  and  puts  him  in  the  basket,  then 
rises  and  turns  away.] 

Mother:     Keep  watch  until  I  return. 

[Exit  mother;    Miriam  hides.] 

SCENE   III 

Place:    The  river  bank. 

Characters:    The   Princess,   Her   Maidens,    Soldiers, 
Moses,  Mother  of  JMoses,  and  Miriam. 

[Several  soldiers  walk  across  the  stage.    Enter  Princess  and 
her  maids.] 

Princess  [looking  around] :     What  beautiful  clear  water 
for  my  bath ! 

First  Maid:    Yea,  Princess.     Will  you  bathe  here  ? 
[A  baby^s  cry  is  heard.] 

Princess:    What  is  it  I  hear?     It  sounds  like  a  baby 
crying!     Look  about,  maidens!     Is  there  something  here  ? 
[All  look  about.] 

Second  Maid  [finds  baby;   all  come  running  up  to  her]: 
See  what  is  here ! 

Princess:    A   baby   hidden   in   a   basket!     Bring   him 
to  me! 
[Third  maid  hands  basket  to  Princess,  who  takes  the  baby  out.] 

Princess:     Oh,  what  a  beautiful  baby!     He  is  mine,  for 
I  have  found  him!     A  Hebrew  baby!     His  mother  has 
hidden  him  in  the  bulrushes  to  save  his  life. 
[Miriam  runs  out.] 

Miriam:     Lady,  would  you  like  a  nurse  for  that  baby  ? 
Princess:     A  nurse  for  him  ?     Yes,  I  do  need  a  nurse. 


Dramatization  of  ''Moses"  57 

Miriam:     I  can  get  you  one  very  quickly. 
Princess:     Go  bring  her,  child;  I  will  wait  here. 

[Miriam  goes  away  running.] 
Princess:    He  is  my  boy,  and  I  will  call  him  Moses,  for 
I  drew  him  out  of  the  water. 

[Enter  the  mother  and  Miriam.] 
Miriam:    Here  is  the  nurse,  lady. 

Princess:  Will  you  take  good  care  of  this  baby  for  me 
until  he  becomes  a  youth  ?  I  will  pay  you  wages.  I  am 
the  Princess,  King  Pharaoh's  daughter.  I  will  see  that  he 
is  educated  as  a  prince  in  my  father's  court. 

[Princess  and  her  maids  go  out.] 
Mother:    My  boy  is  saved!     My  boy  is  saved! 

Act  III 

SCENE   I 

Place:    Pharaoh's  palace. 

Characters:     King  Pharaoh,  Princess,  Maids,  Soldiers, 
Wise  Men,  Mother  of  Moses,  Moses,  Miriam,  Aaron. 
[King  sits  on  his  throne,  wise  men  and  soldiers  around. 
Enter  messenger.] 

Messenger:  O  King,  the  Princess  awaits  without  and 
would  have  speech  with  thee. 

King:    Bid  her  enter. 

[Enter  Princess  and  a  Jew  attendants.] 

Princess:  O  gracious  King  and  father,  I  have  a  request, 
and  I  beg  that  you  grant  it. 

King:  Speak,  my  Princess;  do  I  not  always  grant  what 
you  ask  ? 

Princess:  Yes,  father,  and  I  know  that  you  will  grant 
me  this.  Several  years  ago  I  adopted  a  son  and  I  ask  that 
you  allow  him  to  be  educated  in  your  palace. 


58    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

King:  Adopted  a  son!  What  can  be  the  meaning  of 
this  ?     I  never  heard  of  this!     Where  did  you  get  the  boy  ? 

Princess:  I  found  him,  a  little  baby,  hidden  among  the 
rushes  by  the  river  bank. 

King:    Why  was  he  hidden  ?     That  is  strange ! 

Princess:    He  is  a  Hebrew  boy,  O  father. 

King:  A  Hebrew  boy !  Did  I  not  command  that  every 
Hebrew  boy  should  be  killed  ? 

Princess:  I  must  take  the  blame;  I  had  his  life  spared. 
Will  you  not  let  him  be  brought  here  ? 

King:  No,  I  will  not !  No  Hebrew  boy  shall  be  brought 
here ! 

Princess:  If  you  would  only  see  him,  he  is  so  beautiful. 
you  would  love  him  as  I  do.  He  is  without;  permit  me 
to  show  him  to  you. 

King:    Bring  him  in. 
[Maid  goes  to  get  Moses.     Moses  enters  with  his  mother, 
Miriam,  and  Aaron.    Princess  leads  him  to  the  King.] 

Princess:    This  is  my  son.     Is  he  not  a  wonderful  boy  ? 

King:    He  is  fair  to  look  upon,  but  yet  he  is  a  Hebrew. 

Princess:  O  my  father,  forget  that  he  is  a  Hebrew  and 
remember  only  that  he  is  my  son. 

King:  O  my  Princess,  for  your  sake,  I  accept  this  boy. 
I  leave  his  training  to  you.  May  he  grow  up  to  be  a  prince 
worthy  of  the  house  of  Pharaoh. 

End 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  RUTH 

Ruth  was  dramatized  by  the  club  during  the  fall 
of  the  year  because  it  is  a  story  of  the  Hebrew 
harvest  time.  In  order  fully  to  interpret  the  life 
of  Ruth  it  was  necessary  for  the  children  to  secure 
information  concerning  the  barley  harvest  in 
ancient  Palestine,  and  also  to  become  familiar  with 
the  old  customs  involved  in  the  story.  Many  chil- 
dren brought  pictures  which  illustrated  the  points 
under  discussion,  and  some  of  them  contributed  by 
telling  what  they  had  been  able  to  read  at  home. 
Independence  on  the  part  of  the  children  in  looking 
up  data  was  always  encouraged  by  the  leader ;  the 
information  which  she  had  to  give  enriched  and 
supplemented  that  which  was  brought  in  by  them. 

During  the  process  of  this  dramatization  con- 
stant comparisons  were  made  with  our  own  harvest 
time,  and  the  study  of  the  Hebrew  harvest  feasts 
and  festivals  served  to  increase  the  understanding 
and  appreciation  of  our  one  harvest  festival  at 
Thanksgiving. 

The  method  of  procedure  in  presenting  this  story 
for  dramatization  follows  closely  that  described  in 
connection   with   Joseph.    The   Bible   version   of 

59 


6o     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Ruth  is  so  simply  and  beautifully  told  that  it 
needed  very  little  adapting.  When  it  was  first 
given  to  the  children  parts  of  it  were  read  and 
parts  were  told  by  the  leader.  Many  scenes  were 
then  planned,  but  these  were  soon  cut  down  to 
the  three  necessary  scenes.  From  the  first  the 
children  used  much  of  the  Bible  language  as  they 
acted  the  story.  The  beauty  and  the  poetry  of 
it  caused  them  to  remember  readily  the  exact 
wording  in  many  cases. 

Seven  meetings  were  required  before  the  group 
was  satisfied  with  the  play  as  a  product  of  their 
best  effort.  As  was  the  case  with  the  other  plays 
given  by  the  club,  the  children  who  were  to  take 
the  parts  in  the  final  presentation  were  selected 
by  the  group  and  not  by  the  leader  in  charge. 
Every  child  knew  each  part  and  could  represent 
any  character,  but  children  were  chosen  for  specific 
parts  because  they  seemed  to  represent  certain 
characters  unusually  well. 

The  dramatization  of  this  story  called  for  much 
construction  work.  The  reapers  made  their  sickles 
of  cardboard  and  covered  them  with  gold  or  silver 
paper  or  painted  them.  They  found  pictures  which 
gave  the  shape,  and  from  these  they  cut  the  pat- 
terns (Fig.  1 5) .  One  little  girl  brought  a  real  sickle 
which  had  once  belonged  to  a  Filipino.  It  gave 
her  happiness  to  reap  with  it,  but  the  others  were 
just  as  content  to  use  the  sickles  from  cardboard. 


Dramatization  of  ''Ruth"  6i 

The  need  for  a  harvest  song  was  felt,  and  in 
consequence  a  little  song  that  most  of  the  children 
knew  was  decided  upon.  The  reapers  sang  it  as 
they  reaped  and  while  Boaz  was  walking  through 
his  grain  field.  There  was  no  real  grain  nor  any- 
thing to  represent  it,  the  children  deciding  to  leave 
this  to  the  imagination.  The  action  of  the  reapers 
and  the  words  that  were  spoken  gave  evidence 
enough  that  grain  was  growing  there. 

There  was  very  little  stage  setting  used  in  the 
play.  The  stage  was  bare  in  the  first  scene  in  order 
to  represent  the  road  from  Moab  to  Bethlehem. 
In  the  second  scene  a  big  earthenware  jar  was 
needed  from  which  the  reapers  could  drink.  The 
third  scene  required  a  box  which  represented  a 
seat  by  the  city  gate;  the  door  which  led  off  the 
stage  at  the  side  was  used  for  the  gate. 

The  action  and  the  grouping  of  people  in  the 
third  scene  required  careful  planning  by  the  chil- 
dren. Women  came  through  the  gate  and  passed 
down  the  street  with  water  jugs  on  their  shoulders ; 
men  gathered  in  groups  to  discuss  bits  of  news; 
Boaz  walked  toward  the  gate  and  sat  waiting  for 
his  kinsman.  Finally,  when  the  cousin  appeared, 
Boaz  hailed  him  and  had  him  sit  down.  The 
citizens  who  were  standing  near  were  asked  to  be 
witnesses  in  this  business  transaction.  That  one 
man  should  take  off  his  shoe  and  hand  it  to  another 
was  a  custom  that  created  much  interest  among  the 


62    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

children.  They  began  to  examine  pictures  for  the 
kinds  of  shoes  that  were  worn,  and  this  led  many  of 
them  to  wear  their  own  sandals,  which  approached 
most  nearly  to  those  seen  in  the  pictures.  The  chil- 
dren who  did  not  own  sandals  tried  to  make  them 
with  cardboard  and  strips  of  cloth  (see  Fig.  26). 

The  costuming  was  very  simple.  The  reapers 
wore  the  same  little  brown  slips  which  had  been 
worn  in  every  play  that  had  been  given.  Boaz 
enriched  his  costume  by  wearing  brighter  colors 
in  his  headdress  and  girdle  and  by  wearing  a  slip 
that  was  longer  than  the  others. 

The  play  follows  as  it  was  finally  given. 

RUTH 

SCENE   I 

Place:    In  Moab,  on  the  road  to  Judah. 

Characters:    Naomi,  Ruth,  Orpah. 

Setting:    Naomi,  Ruth,  Orpah,  are  on  the  road  going 
toward  Judah. 

[Naomi  stops  and  faces  about.] 

Naomi:  Turn  back,  my  daughters-in-law;  return  each 
of  you  to  your  mother's  house.  You  have  come  with  me 
far  enough.    I  must  take  the  rest  of  my  journey  alone. 

Orpah  and  Ruth:  Oh,  do  not  send  us  back !  We  will  not 
leave  thee! 

Naomi:  Yea,  you  must  leave  me  now.  I  am  going 
home  to  my  own  country  and  my  own  people,  to  Bethlehem, 
Judah!  It  is  ten  long  years  since  I  left  there  to  come  to 
dwell  in  your  land  of  Moab.  But  now  that  the  famine  is 
over  I  must  return. 


Dramatization  of  "Ruth"  63 

Orpah:  But,  Naomi,  our  mother-in-law,  we  love  thee. 
Do  not  thou  leave  us ! 

Naomi:  I  must  go.  I  came  to  this  country  happy — 
with  my  husband  and  two  sons — but  misfortune  has  dealt 
bitterly  with  me.  My  husband  first  died,  and  now  my  two 
sons,  your  husbands,  are  taken  from  me.  I  am  old  and  sad. 
I  have  no  one  left  to  comfort  me.  I  must  go  back  to  mine 
own  people.  Leave  me,  my  daughters,  and  God  bless  you! 
[Both  daughters  weep.] 

Orpah  [weeping  and  kissing  Naomi]:    If  thou  wilt  be 

happier,  then  thou  must  leave  us.     I  will  return  to  my 

mother's  house  as  thou  sayest.     [She  goes  of  slowly,  weeping.] 

[Ruth  still  stands  by  weeping.     Takes  hold  of 

Naomi's  hand.] 

Naomi:  Behold,  Orpah,  thy  sister-in-law,  has  gone 
back  to  her  people  and  unto  her  gods;  return  thou  after  thy 
sister-in-law. 

Ruth:  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  nor  to  return  from 
following  after  thee:  for  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go; 
and  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge;  thy  people  shall  be 
my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God:  where  thou  diest,  will 
I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried:  the  Lord  do  so  to  me,  and 
more  also,  if  aught  but  death  part  thee  and  me. 

Naomi:  Since  thou  art  so  steadfastly  minded  to  go  with 
me,  Ruth,  I  will  cease  urging  thee.  Come,  thou  mayest 
go  with  me  to  Bethlehem. 

SCENE   II 

Place:    In  the  barley  fields  of  Boaz. 

Time:    The  harvest  season. 

Characters:    Boaz,    Ruth,    Head    Reaper,    Reapers, 

Gleaners. 
[The  reapers  come  in  with  their  sickles,  followed  hy 
the  gleaners.] 


64     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Head  Reaper:  Truly  we  have  a  wonderful  harvest  this 
year! 

First  Reaper:  Yea,  we  will  have  food  enough  for  our- 
selves and  for  all  the  poor  in  our  city  of  Bethlehem. 

Head  Reaper:  It  is  the  great  God  that  hath  given  us 
this  bounty. 

[All  sing  harvest  song  as  they  reap.     While  they  are  singing 
Ruth  comes  in  and  begins  to  pick  up  the  grain.] 

Second  Reaper  [looking  toward  the  entrance  to  the  field] : 
The  master  is  coming,  the  great  Boaz! 

[All  reapers  look  in  that  direction  as  they  stand,  resting  their 
sickles  on  the  ground.     Boaz  enters.] 

Boaz:    The  Lord  be  with  you ! 
Reapers:    The  Lord  bless  thee ! 

[All  go  to  work  again,  singing  as  before.     Boaz  walks  among 
them;   he  sees  Ruth  and  watches  her.] 

Boaz  [to  the  Head  Reaper]:  My  good  man,  I  w^ould 
speak  a  word  with  thee;    come  hither. 

Head  Reaper:    Speak,  O  master! 

Boaz:  Whose  damsel  is  this  that  gathereth  grain  after 
the  reapers  ? 

Head  Reaper:  My  master,  she  is  Ruth,  the  Moabitish 
damsel  that  came  back  with  Naomi,  thy  kinswoman.  She 
hath  been  gleaning  here  since  early  morning. 

Boaz:  Go,  bid  the  reapers  not  to  harm  her,  and  bid 
them  let  fall  purposely  some  of  the  handfuls  of  grain  for  her. 
[The  Head  Reaper  bows  low  and  goes  back  among  the  reapers.] 

Boaz  [to  Ruth]  :  Hearest  thou  not,  my  daughter  ?  Go 
not  to  glean  in  another  field,  but  stay  here  by  my  reapers. 
Let  thine  eyes  be  on  the  reapers,  and  do  thou  glean  that 
which  they  leave  behind.  When  thou  art  athirst,  go  unto 
the  vessels  and  drink  that  which  the  young  men  have  drawn. 


Dramatization  of  "Ruth"  65 

Ruth  [hows  to  the  ground] :  Why  have  I  found  such  favor 
in  thine  eyes,  seeing  that  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  land  ? 

Boaz:  It  has  been  told  me  of  thy  great  kindness  to  thy 
mother-in-law,  Naomi;  how  thou  didst  leave  thine  own 
people  to  come  with  her  and  be  among  strangers;  and  how 
thou  didst  leave  thy  gods  to  take  the  God  of  the  children 
of  Israel.     The  Lord  will  bless  thee  for  this. 

Ruth:  I  thank  thee,  O  great  Boaz,  for  thou  hast  com- 
forted me  and  thou  hast  spoken  friendly  words  unto  me. 

Boaz:  Come  hither  at  meal  times  and  eat  of  the  bread 
and  dip  thy  morsel  in  the  vinegar  with  my  reapers. 

[The  reapers  have  departed.     Boaz  goes  of.] 

Ruth:    The  Lord  God  is  truly  good  unto  me! 

SCENE   III 

Place:    At  the  gate  of  the  city. 

Characters:    Boaz,  a  Cousin  of  Naomi,  Ten  Citizens, 
Ruth,  Naomi. 

[Several  citizens  stand  in  groups,  talking.     Boaz  enters.] 

Boaz  [speaks  to  one  of  the  group]:  Hast  thou  seen  my 
cousin  pass  this  way  ?     I  am  seeking  him. 

First  Citizen:    Nay,  good  sir,  I  have  not  seen  him. 

Boaz:  I  must  speak  with  him;  I  will  wait  here  by  the 
city  gate;  perchance  he  will  come  soon.  ' 

[One  or  two  citizens  pass  by  and  speak  to  Boaz,  saying, 
"Good-day,  sir.''    Enter  Kinsman.] 

Boaz:  Ho,  Kinsman,  turn  aside!  I  would  have  a  word 
with  thee.     Sit  thee  down. 

[Kinsman  sits  down.] 

Kinsman:    What  wilt  thou,  Cousin  ? 
Boaz:    I  would  speak  about  a  matter  of  importance; 
wait  thou  here  until  I  can  bring  witnesses.    [He  turns  to 


66    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories  . 

citizens.]  A  piece  of  land  is  about  to  be  sold;  will  ten 
citizens  witness  this  deed  ? 

Citizens:    Aye,  indeed.     [They  come  forward.] 

Boaz:  Sit  ye  down  here.  [They  sit  down.]  [To 
Kinsman]:  Dost  thou  remember  Naomi,  our  kinswoman, 
who  went  with  her  husband  and  two  sons  to  the  land  of 
Moab? 

Kinsman:    Yea,  I  do  know  Naomi. 

Boaz:  She  selleth  a  parcel  of  land  which  was  her  hus- 
band's. Now,  thou  art  nearest  of  kin  to  Naomi,  so  I 
thought  to  advise  thee  that  thou  mayest  have  the  first 
chance  to  redeem  the  land  in  the  presence  of  the  elders  of 
the  city.  If  thou  dost  not  care  to  redeem  it,  then  the  right 
to  redeem  it  cometh  to  me,  for  I  am  next  of  kin.  What 
wilt  thou  do  ? 

Kinsman:  I  will  buy  the  land  from  our  kinsv*^oman, 
Naomi. 

Boaz:  On  the  day  that  thou  buyest  the  field  from  the 
hand  of  Naomi,  thou  also  takest  Ruth,  the  Moabitess,  for 
thy  wife,  according  to  our  custom  and  law. 

Kinsman:  Then  I  will  not  redeem  the  land,  for  I  cannot 
take  Ruth  for  my  wife.  Take  thou  my  right  to  redeem  it 
and  buy  it  for  thyself. 

Boaz  [taking  of  his  shoe  and  giving  it  to  the  Kinsman,  he 
says  to  the  witnesses]:  Ye  are  witnesses  this  day  that  I 
have  bought  this  parcel  of  land  from  Naomi  and  that  I  buy 
also,  as  my  wife,  Ruth,  the  daughter-in-law  of  Naomi.  Of 
all  this  ye  are  witnesses. 

Citizens:    We  are  witnesses.     [Bow.] 

[Kinsman  returns  shoe  to  Boaz  and  walks  of.    Ruth  and 
Naomi  come  through  the  street.] 

Boaz:  Ye  are  well  met,  Naomi,  my  kinswoman,  and 
Ruth.     X  have  good  news  for  you;  I  have  bought  your  land 


Dramatization  of  "Ruth"  67 

and  I  can  now  take  Ruth  for  my  wife.  Come,  all  ye  fellow- 
citizens,  for  the  wedding  feast  is  prepared  at  my  house! 
[Takes  Ruth  by  the  hand.] 

Naomi:  Blessed  am  I  that  I  should  live  to  see  this  good 
thing  come  to  pass!  The  Lord  hath  been  most  gracious 
unto  me ! 

End 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  QUEEN  ESTHER 

The  story  of  Esther  involves  a  much  more  com- 
phcated  situation  than  any  of  the  others  here 
described.  It  is  not  too  difficult  for  dramatiza- 
tion, however,  if  it  is  taken  after  such  stories 
have  been  worked  out  as  David  and  Goliath  and 
Joseph. 

In  the  case  of  this  dramatic  club  the  story  of 
Esther  was  told  to  the  children  after  they  had  had 
much  experience  with  other  plays.  The  interest- 
ing plot  and  the  beauty  and  richness  of  the  court 
made  so  great  an  appeal  to  them  that  they  were 
eager  to  begin  the  dramatization.  The  story  was 
first  simplified  and  adapted  by  the  leader,  and  then 
told  in  such  a  manner  as  to  emphasize  the  main 
events.  The  method  of  procedure  followed  that  de- 
scribed in  chapter  iii  in  connection  with  the  story 
of  Joseph.  After  the  telling  of  the  story  the  scenes 
were  selected.  These  wxre  acted  out  very  freely 
at  first,  little  thought  being  given  to  the  words. 
Many  pictures  were  brought  in,  and  descriptions 
of  the  court  of  King  Ahasuerus  wxre  read  by  the 
children  from  the  Bible  and  from  books  of  Bible 
stories. 

68 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther"      69 

In  the  second  scene  the  children  decided  to  have 
the  maidens  dance  before  the  King.  Several  Httle 
girls  who  were  trying  out  the  part  of  Esther  made 
up  dances  for  themselves.  This  feature  made  this 
scene  especially  attractive. 

This  play  was  longer  than  those  that  had  pre- 
viously been  dramatized,  and  it  therefore  took  a 
longer  period  of  time  to  bring  it  into  final  shape. 
There  is  no  reason  to  hurry  a  dramatization.  If 
the  aim  of  this  kind  of  work  is  kept  in  mind,  there 
will  be  growth  on  the  part  of  the  children  at  each 
meeting.  The  value  lies,  not  in  how  many  stories 
can  be  dramatized  during  a  year,  but  in  how 
thoroughly  the  children  are  reliving  a  few  good 
stories. 

The  play  of  Queen  Esther  made  it  necessary  to 
construct  several  articles.  Gold  dishes  of  various 
kinds  were  made  by  covering  cardboard  with  gold 
paper.  These  were  used  at  the  Queen's  banquet. 
From  the  many  scepters  that  were  submitted  the 
King  chose  the  one  for  final  use.  Elaborate  gowns 
and  headdresses  were  gathered;  beads  and  jewels 
of  all  descriptions  were  made  from  brilHantly 
colored  papers. 

The  children  took  the  responsibility  of  the  cos- 
tuming. The  majority  of  them  planned  their  own 
garments  and  either  brought  things  from  home  or 
selected  some  suitable  costume  from  those  which 
the  club  had  on  hand.     Two  of  the  older  girls 


70    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

took  entire  charge  of  the  younger  ones  and  saw 
to  it  that  each  had  some  simple  sKp  to  wear  in 
the  play. 

The  play  follows  as  it  was  finally  worked  out  by 
the  children. 

THE  STORY  OF  QUEEN  ESTHER 

SCENE  I 

Place:    The  King's  palace — Shushan. 
Characters:    King   Ahasuerus   (king   of   Media   and 
Persia),  Haman  (chief  counselor),  Persian  Princes, 
Servants. 
[The  King  is  seated  on  his  throne,  princes  seated  before  the 
King,  and  Haman  is  seated  by  the  King's  side. 
Servants  are  bringing  drinks  in  golden  vessels.] 

King:  The  seventh  day  of  this  feast  hath  come,  and 
on  this  day  will  I  bring  my  beautiful  Queen,  Vashti,  before 
you.  The  princes  of  my  land  must  depart,  bearing  a  good 
report  of  my  fair  Queen  as  well  as  of  the  great  riches  of  my 
court.  Chamberlains,  come  forth!  [The  servants  come 
before  the  King  and  bow.]  I  command  you  to  bring  Vashti, 
the  Queen,  before  my  presence.     [Servants  withdraw.] 

First  Prince:  ■  O  King,  this  is  a  great  honor  that  thou 
bestowest  upon  us! 

Second  Prince:  Yea,  Vashti,  the  Queen,  is  already 
known  over  the  land  for  her  wondrous  beauty.  We  are 
most  happy  that  thou  wilt  allow  thy  servants  to  behold  her. 

Third  Prince:  What  wonderful  tidings  we  will  spread 
over  thy  provinces,  O  King.  Thy  people  do  not  know  the 
half  of  thy  riches  and  thy  wonderful  greatness  and  gener- 
osity. 

[Enter  servants.     They  bow  low.] 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther"      71 

Kmg:     Rise;  what  is  thy  message? 
[They  do  not  rise.] 

First  Servant:    O  King,  be  merciful  unto  us! 
[They  bow  lower.] 

King:  What  meaneth  this?  Speak!  [in  astonishment] 
I  command  thee.     Where  is  the  Queen  ? 

Second  Servant:   O  great  King,  we  dehvered  thy  mes- 
sage as  thou  didst  command,  but  the  Queen  has  refused 
to  come  before  thy  presence. 
[All  the  princes  and  the  King  show  surprise  and  anger.] 

King:  Refused  to  obey  me  ?  This  is  impossible !  Are 
ye  certain  that  she  understood  the  meaning  of  my  com- 
mand? 

Servants:    We  are,  O  King. 

King:  She  hath  refused!  It  cannot  be!  [He  looks 
absently  away.]    She  must  be  punished. 

Haman:  What  shall  we  do  to  Queen  Vashti  according 
to  the  law,  because  she  hath  not  performed  the  command- 
ment of  King  Ahasuerus  ? 

First  Prince:  She  hath  not  done  wrong  to  the  King 
only,  but  also  to  all  the  princes  of  the  land,  for  this  deed  of 
the  Queen  shall  become  known  unto  all  the  women  of  Media 
and  Persia  and  they  shall  despise  the  command  of  their 
husbands:  ''Because,"  they  shall  say,  "King  Ahasuerus 
commanded  Vashti,  the  Queen,  to  be  brought  before  him 
and  she  came  not." 

Second  Prince:  What  shall  we  do?  This  will  cause 
great  trouble  and  disobedience. 

King:    What  thinkest  thou,  Haman,  my  chief  counselor  ? 

Haman:  If  it  please  the  King,  let  there  go  forth  a  royal 
commandment  and  let  it  be  written  among  the  laws  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians  that  Vashti  come  no  more  before 
Ahasuerus,  and  let  the  King  give  her  royal  estate  to  another 


72     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

that  is  better  than  she.     Then  when  this  decree  shall  become 
known  all  wives  shall  give  honor  unto  their  husbands. 

King:  This  saying  ple^seth  me  greatly.  I  shall  do 
accordingly.  [To  servants]:  Send  letters  unto  every 
province  to  every  people,  which  shall  state  this  decree,  so 
that  every  man  shall  know  it. 

Haman:  O  King,  I  pray  thee,  let  there  be  fair  maidens 
brought  before  thee  from  which  thou  shalt  choose  another 
which  shall  be  thy  Queen. 

King:    So  be  it!     See  that  fair  maidens  from  every 
province  be  brought  here  to  my  palace;   and  the  one  that 
pleaseth  me  best,  I  will  take  her  for  my  Queen. 
[All  bow.] 

SCENE   II 

Place  :    At  Shushan,  the  palace. 

Characters:     King    Ahasuerus,    Mordecai,    Maidens, 
Haman,  Servants,  Courtiers. 
[Two  servants  are  standing  in  the  court  room  of  the  palace. 
Enter  a  messenger  followed  by  Esther  and  Mordecai.] 

Messenger  [announces  to  the  servants  in  the  room]:  This 
maiden  has  come  to  see  the  King. 

[He  goes  out.] 

First  Servant:  This  is  the  place.  Wait  thou  here. 
[To  Mordecai]  :  What  art  thou  here  for  ?  Thou  wilt  have 
to  depart. 

Mordecai:  I  only  brought  this  maiden.  I  beg  of  thee 
let  me  have  a  few  words  with  her;  then  I  will  withdraw. 

First  Servant:  Speak  then  quickly,  before  the  King 
Cometh. 

[Servants  withdraw  to  another  part  of  the  room.] 
Mordecai  [taking  Esther's  hand]:    Esther,  my  child, 
thou  art  like  my  very  child,  for  although  I  am  but  thy 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther"      73 


w 


74    The  Dramatization  of  Bisle  Stories 

uncle  I  have  been  as  a  father  to  thee.  I  bid  thee  farewell 
now,  for  it  seemeth  to  me  that  the  King  will  surely  choose 
thee  to  be  his  Queen — thou  art  so  fair.  This  one  thing 
remember,  tell  him  not  that  thou  art  a  Jewess.  Fare  thee 
well,  Esther!    May  the  Lord  bless  thee! 

Esther:    Farewell  to  thee,  Mordecai ! 
[MoRDECAi  goes  out.     Other  maidens  come  in  announced  by 
the  messe?iger.] 

Messenger:    These  maidens  would  see  the  King. 

[The  servants  show  them  where  to  sit.     Enter  second 
messenger.] 

Second  Messenger:    The  King!     The  King! 

[Enter  King  and  Haman.    King  sits  on  his  throne.] 

Second  Servant  [bowing  before  the  King]:  O  King,  the 
maidens  from  all  parts  of  the  country  have  arrived  and 
await  thy  pleasure. 

King:  Let  them  come  before  my  presence  one  at  a 
time,  and  I  will  choose  from  among  them  the  one  that 
seemeth  most  fair. 

[The  musicians  begin  playing  and,  one  by  one,  the  maidens 
come  out.  They  bow  and  dance.  Esther  comes  last  of 
all.    As  Esther  dances  the  King  speaks.] 

King:  What  marvelous  beauty!  Surely  this  maiden 
is  fair  enough  to  be  my  Queen. 

Haman:  Yea,  O  King,  thou  art  right;  she  should  be 
thy  Queen. 

King  [takes  Esther's  hand]:  What  is  thy  name,  fair 
maid? 

Esther:    My  name  is  Esther,  O  King. 

King:  Esther,  I  do  here  take  thee  to  be  my  Queen. 
Bring  the  royal  crown  and  the  Queen's  robes! 

[Servants  come  immediately  and  put  them  on  her.] 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther"      75 


i 


76     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

King  [leading  Esther  out]:  Come  unto  the  wedding 
feast  which  is  now  prepared.     All  are  welcome! 

SCENE   III 

Place:    The  palace  gate. 

Characters:    Haman,  Mordecai,  Servants,  Esther. 
[Servants  are  standing  and  walking  hy  the  gate.     Women 
come  by  carrying  water  jars.     Mordecai  stands  apart 
from  the  crowd.    Herald  comes  in.] 

Herald:  Bow  the  knee,  bow  the  knee.  The  chief 
counselor,  Haman,  approacheth!    Thus  saith  the  King. 

[Haman  comes  in.    All  how  to  him  except  Mordecai.] 

Haman  [pointing  to  Mordecai]  :  Who  is  this  man  who 
doth  not  bow  the  knee  to  me  ? 

First  Servant:  He  is  Mordecai,  the  Jew,  my  lord.  [To 
Mordecai]:  Why  dost  thou  break  the  King's  command- 
ment? 

Haman:  Thou  Jew!  Dost  thou  think  that  thou  art 
mightier  than  I,  whom  the  King  hath  set  above  all  the 
princes  of  the  land  ?  Thou  shalt  suffer  for  this.  [Turns  to 
servant.]  Send  letters  unto  all  the  King's  provinces,  to 
destroy,  to  kiU,  and  to  cause  to  perish  all  Jews,  both  young 
and  old,  little  children  and  women,  in  one  day — even  upon 
the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month,  and  to  take  the 
spoil  of  them  for  prey. 

[Servant  hows  and  goes  away.  Haman  passes  on,  leaving 
Mordecai  with  two  servants.  Mordecai,  in  deep 
thought,  walks  anxiously  up  and  down.] 

Mordecai:  I  must  see  Queen  Esther.  Canst  thou  not 
take  me  to  the  Queen  ? 

Second  servant  [laughing  scornjully] :  Thinkest  thou  that 
the  Queen  will  see  thee  ? 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther"      77 

Mordecai:  Give  the  Queen  this  paper  and  say  to  her 
that  I,  Mordecai,  the  Jew,  bid  her  come  to  me. 

[Servant  withdraws.] 

Mordecai  [walking,  talks  to  himself]:  Israel,  O  Israel, 
my  people!     You  shall  not  perish.     Esther,  your  Queen, 

will  save  you. 

[Enter  Esther.] 

Esther:  Mordecai,  my  uncle,  why  art  thou  here? 
Thou  lookest  unhappy.     Hath  aught  happened  to  thee  ? 

Mordecai:  Yea,  Esther,  I  am  unhappy.  I  have  sorrow- 
ful news  to  tell  thee. 

Esther:  Chamberlains,  withdraw!  Speak,  Mordecai; 
tell  me  quickly.     It  may  be  that  I  can  help  thee. 

Mordecai:  Esther,  thou  canst  help  me,  and  thou  art 
the  only  one  who  can.  Haman,  the  King's  counselor, 
hateth  the  Jews — thy  people  and  mine.  He  hath  sent  a 
decree  over  all  the  country  commanding  that  every  Jew, 
both  old  and  young,  little  children  and  women,  be  killed 
on  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth  month.  Esther,  thou 
must  save  thy  people  and  thyself  ?  Thou  must  go  before 
the  King  and  beg  of  him  that  he  spare  thy  people. 

[Esther  shows  great  distress.] 

Esther:  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  ?  Dost  thou  not  know  that 
for  one  who  dareth  to  go  before  the  presence  of  the  King, 
if  the  King  hath  not  called  him,  there  is  certain  death; 
except  to  whom  the  King  shall  hold  out  the  golden  scepter — 
he  may  live  ?  I  have  not  been  called  to  come  in  unto  the 
King  these  thirty  days.  He  will  surely  put  me  to  death 
for  such  boldness. 

Mordecai:  Thou  must  go  unto  the  King  even  so. 
Think  not  that  thou  wilt  escape  death  from  Haman  because 
thou  art  in  the  King's  house.  Who  knoweth  but  that  thou 
hast  been  made  Queen  for  such  a  time  as  this! 


78     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Esther  [after  thinking  deeply]:  Go,  gather  together  all 
the  Jews  that  are  present  in  Shushan,  and  fast  ye  for  me, 
and  neither  eat  nor  d.ink  for  three  days,  night  or  day; 
I  also  and  my  maidens  will  fast  likewise — and  so  I  will  go 
in  unto  the  King,  which  is  not  according  to  the  law,  and  if 
I  perish,  I  perish. 

Mordecai:     May  the  Lord  go  with  thee! 

SCENE   IV 

Place  :    In  the  court  of  the  King's  palace. 
Characters:    King  Ahasuerus,  Esther,  Haman,  Court- 
iers, Servants. 
[The  King  sits  on  his  throne.    Queen  Esther  enters  and 
bows  before  the  King.     The  King  looks  at  her 
in  astonishment.] 
Courtiers  [in  loud  whispers] :   The  Queen !   It  is  the  Queen ! 
King:    Esther,   hast  thou   dared  to   come  before   my 
presence  when  I  have  not  called  thee  ?    Thou  surely  dost 
not  know  what  thou  art  doing!    This  act  of  boldness  can 
mean  thy  death:     But  thou  art  so  beautiful,  Esther,  I 
cannot  be  hard  with  thee.     Rise!     [He  holds  out  the  golden 
scepter.]    What  is  the  request  that  has  brought  thee  here  ? 
It  shall  be  given  thee,  even  though  it  be  half  of  my  kingdom. 
[Esther  touches  the  scepter  and  rises.] 
Esther:    If  it  seemeth  good  unto  the  King,  let  the  King 
and  Haman  come  this  day  unto  the  banquet  that  I  have 
prepared  for  them. 

[She  turns  and  goes  out.] 
King:    Hearest  thou,  Haman?     Make  haste  and  let 
us  do  as  Esther  hath  said.     Come,  we  will  prepare  for  this 
banquet. 

[Haman  bows.     The  King  ajid  Haman  go  out.    Others 
follow.] 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther"      79 


w 

o 

a. 


8o     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

SCENE   V 

Place:     The  Queen's  apartment. 

Characters:     Queen  Esther,  King  Ahasuerus,  Haman 
Servants,  Mordecai. 

[The  servants  are  preparing  the  feast.    Enter  Esther.] 

Esther:  See  ye  that  the  feast  is  in  readiness,  for  the 
King  will  soon  arrive. 

[Servants  bow.] 

Servant:    The  King  cometh! 

Esther  [going  to  meet  the  King  as  he  enters]:  Welcome, 
my  lord! 

[The  King  sits  upon  a  throne  prepared  for  him.] 

King:  I  am  happy  to  be  with  thee,  my  fair  Queen. 
Thou  must  have  a  request  which  thou  desirest  to  make- 
speak,  be  not  afraid.  I  will  grant  it  though  it  be  half  of 
my  kingdom. 

Esther:  If  I  have  found  favor  in  thy  sight,  O  King, 
and  if  it  please  the  King,  let  my  life  be  saved  and  the  lives 
of  my  people — the  Hebrew  people.  We  are  to  be  destroyed, 
to  be  slain  and  to  perish. 

King:  Thy  people  ?  The  Hebrew  people  ?  Who  is 
this  and  where  is  he  that  dareth  in  his  heart  to  do  this 
thing  to  thy  people  ? 

Esther:  The  enemy  is  thy  chief  counselor,  this  wicked 
Haman. 

King:  Did  Haman  do  this  deed?  How  didst  thou 
know  of  his  plan  ? 

Esther:  O  King,  Mordecai,  the  Jew,  my  uncle,  hath 
shown  me  the  letter  which  Haman  hath  sent  over  the 
country.  The  Jews  are  to  be  killed  on  the  thirteenth  day 
of  the  twelfth  month.  I  am  begging  thee  for  my  life  and 
■  for  the  lives  of  my  people ! 


Dramatization  of  ''Queen  Esther" 


H 


;3 


82    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

King:  Fear  not,  Esther;  thy  people  shall  be  saved. 
Mordecai,  the  Jew,  hath  once  done  me  a  great  service.  He 
hath  not  been  rewarded  for  this  He  shall  have  honor,  for 
he  deserveth  it. 

Servant:    The  great  Haman  hath  come,  O  Queen. 

[Haman  enters;  they  seat  themselves,  and  the  feast  is  served.] 

King:  Haman,  what  shall  be  done  unto  the  man  whom 
the  King  delighteth  to  honor  ? 

Haman  [aside]:  Whom  would  the  King  like  to  honor 
more  than  myself?  [To  the  King]:  For  the  man  whom 
the  King  delighteth  to  honor,  let  the  royal  apparel  be 
brought  which  the  King  useth  to  wear,  and  the  horse  which 
the  King  rideth  upon,  and  the  royal  crown  which  is  set 
upon  his  head;  and  let  these  be  given  the  man  whom  the 
King  delighteth  to  honor;  and  let  him  ride  on  horseback 
through  the  streets  of  the  city;  and  proclaim  before  him, 
"Thus  it  shall  be  done  unto  the  man  whom  the  King 
delighteth  to  honor!" 

King:  Make  haste  and  take  the  royal  apparel  and  the 
horse  as  thou  hast  said  and  do  even  so  unto  Mordecai,  the 
Jew,  that  sitteth  at  the  King's  gate.  Let  nothing  fail  of 
all  that  thou  hast  spoken. 

[Haman  bows  his  head  low  and  goes  out  to  Mordecai.] 

Servant:  O  King,  Haman  hath  built  a  gallows  upon 
which  to  hang  Mordecai,  the  Jew,  this  day. 

[Haaian  returns  with  Mordecai  and  puts  on  the  crown,  etc.] 

King:    Let  him  who  hath  made  the  gallows  hang  upon  it ! 

[Servant  takes  Haman  out.] 

King:  Come  near,  Mordecai.  Thou  hast  found  great 
favor  in  mine  eyes.  From  henceforth  thou  shalt  be  my 
chief  counselor,  and  thou  shalt  rule  the  land  in  Haman's 
place.     Thy  people  shall  be  spared,  and  letters  shall  be 


Dramatization  OF ^' Queen  Esther"       83 

sent  over  all  the  land  and  into  every  province  which  shall 
state  that  the  Hebrew  people  shall  not  be  destroyed,  but 
instead  they  shall  be  honored  and  have  joy  and  feasting. 

Mordecai:  I  thank  thee,  O  King  and  Esther,  my  Queen, 
for  the  great  deliverance  and  for  this  great  honor  to  me. 
May  the  Lord  give  me  strength  to  deal  wisely  with  these 
peoples. 

Esther:  This  is  a  great  happiness  which  thou  hast 
bestowed  upon  me,  O  King. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  ABRAHAM  AND  THE 
THREE  GUESTS 

This  incident  should  be  simpHfied  and  adapted 
before  it  is  told  to  children.  The  dramatization 
is  best  worked  out  in  the  form  of  a  short,  free  play 
which  involves  only  one  act.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  carry  it  to  the  point  of  fixed  words  and  actions. 
The  emphasis  should  be  placed  upon  the  customs 
of  the  times  which  are  so  well  brought  out  in  the 
story;  for  example,  the  hospitahty  of  Abraham 
to  the  strangers  represents  the  feeling  toward 
strangers  among  the  nomad  peoples,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  showed  his  hospitality  makes 
children  acquainted  with  customs  peculiar  to  those 
people.  There  is  excellent  opportunity  here  for 
enriching  the  children's  understanding  of  the  life 
of  a  shepherd  people,  of  which  the  Israelites  are 
an  example. 

Descriptions  and  pictures  of  the  kind  of  tent  the 
people  lived  in  are  necessary.  It  is  important  that 
children  should  get  the  idea  of  the  correct  shape 
of  the  Arab  tent  and  not  confuse  it  with  the  Indian 
wigwam.  No  stage  scenery  need  be  used;  it  is 
best  to  leave  that  to  the  imagination.     A  curtain 

84 


Dramatization  of  ^'Abraham"  85 

may  be  put  up  to  represent  the  front  of  the  tent, 
but  nothing  more. 

There  is  much  of  this  incident  that  should  be 
left  out  in  the  telling;  by  no  means  should  it  be 
read  directly  from  the  Bible  to  children.  The 
story  may  be  told  so  that  the  following  points  are 
emphasized : 

Abraham  is  sitting  at  the  door  of  his  tent. 
Three  men  appear ;  he  runs  to  meet  them  and  bows 
to  the  ground.  He  invites  them  to  rest  under  the 
shade  of  the  tree  and  offers  to  get  food  and  to  have 
their  feet  washed.  The  strangers  sit  and  talk 
together,  then  Abraham  comes  with  the  food. 
They  all  eat  and  are  rested,  and  as  they  rise  to 
depart  they  ask  for  Sarah,  Abraham's  wife.  The 
strangers  tell  Sarah  and  Abraham  that  they  are 
to  have  a  son  whose  name  shall  be  Isaac  and  whom 
God  shall  bless  and  who  shall  be  the  father  of  many 
people.  Abraham  and  Sarah  are  greatly  astonished 
and  pleased.  They  fall  upon  their  knees  to  thank 
God,  and  when  they  arise  they  find  that  the 
strangers  have  departed.  The  scene  closes  with 
their  exclamation,  *' Surely  these  were  angels  from 
the  Lord  who  have  visited  us!" 

This  story  was  dramatized  by  the  children  of  the 
dramatic  club  after  they  had  had  experience  with 
many  other  dramatizations.  During  the  first  hour 
after  the  story  was  told  the  children  succeeded  in 
getting  the  play  into  very  nearly  its  final  form. 


86     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Two  of  the  older  girls,  undertaking  to  write  out  the 
scenes  as  they  thought  they  should  be,  brought  in 
their  versions  at  the  second  meeting.  Each  one 
was  read  aloud,  the  other  children  being  asked  to 
remember  the  parts  that  seemed  especially  good. 
Then  by  combining,  adding  to,  or  taking  from,  a 
composite  result  was  obtained.  Several  children 
wrote  down  the  final  decisions  at  the  dictation  of 
the  group. 

Below  is  given  the  version  which  one  child 
worked  out  by  herself,  and  following  that  is  the 
final  form  of  the  play  which  the  group  as  a  whole 
decided  upon.  The  leader  purposely  left  this  play 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  children;  the  product 
is  wholly  their  own. 

THE  PLAY  EXACTLY  AS  ONE   CHILD  WROTE  IT 

Abraham:  The  day  is  hot  and  I  am  weary.  I  will  rest 
myself  from  the  heat  of  the  day.  [He  seats  himself  in  the 
shade  of  the  tent.] 

Sarah:  It  is  indeed  hot,  and  I  wiU  bring  thee  food  and 
drink  that  thou  mayest  refresh  thyself.  [Sarah  retires  into 
the  tent.] 

Abraham  [rises  to  his  feet  and  shades  his  eyes  with  his 
hands]:  Sarah,  come  hither!  Yonder  are  strangers  who 
are  in  need  of  rest.  [Sarah  comes  out,  and  she  and  Abraham 
kneel  before  them.]  Welcome,  strangers,  seat  yourselves  that 
ye  may  rest.  My  wife,  Sarah,  will  bring  you  food,  and 
water  that  you  may  wash  your  feet. 

First  Stranger:  The  Lord  bless  thee,  Abraham. 
[Sarah  and  the  servants  withdraw,  and  Abraham  and  the 


Dramatization  of  ^'Abraham"  87 

three  men  seat  themselves  before  the  tent.     Sarah  returns  with 
water  and  food.     The  strangers  wash  their  feet  and  eat.] 

Sarah  [offering  them  food]:  Drink  thou  this  fresh  milk, 
and  refresh  thyself  with  this  fruit,  for  ye  look  weary. 
[They  finish  eating  and  Sarah  and  the  servants  retire.] 

Second  Stranger:  We  biing  thee  good  tidings  and  would 
speak  with  thee  and  thy  wife.  [Sarah  comes  from  within 
the  tent.] 

Third  Stranger:  We  are  messengers  from  the  Lord  to 
tell  thee  that  thou  wilt  have  a  son. 

First  Stranger:  He  will  be  the  father  of  many  men  and 
thousands  will  respect  him.     Ye  shall  name  him  Isaac. 

Sarah:  That  cannot  come  to  pass!  For  many  years 
I  have  been  childless,  and  the  Lord  will  not  give  me  a  son. 

Abraham  [falling  on  his  knees]:  Thanks  be  to  the  Lord! 
A  son  at  last ! 

Sarah:  Can  it  be  that  these  tidings  are  true?  If  so, 
it  is  indeed  a  message  from  the  Lord !  [She  too  falls  on  her 
knees  before  them.  The  three  men  quietly  leave,  and  when 
Sarah  and  Abraham  rise  to  their  feet  they  are  out  of  sight.] 

Abraham:  They  were  angels  from  heaven!  Our  wish 
has  been  granted  at  last ! 

End 

The  following  is  the  play  as  it  was  finally 
presented: 

ABRAHAM  AND  THE  THREE  GUESTS 

Place:     In  front  of  the  tent  of  Abraham. 
Characters:    Abraham,  a  Shepherd;  Sarah,  His  Wife; 
Three  Strangers;  Four  Servants. 
[Abraham  and  Sarah  come  out  of  the  tent.] 
Abraham:    The  day  is  hot,  and  I  am  weary;   I  will  sit 
down  and  rest  in  the  shade  of  this  tree. 


SS     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Sarah:     Yea,  it  is  hot.     I  will  bring  thee  drink  and  food 

that  thou  mayest  refresh  thyself,  my  good  husband. 

[Sarah  goes  into  the  tent.    Abraham  sees  three  strangers 

approaching.     He  stands  up,  shades  his  eyes  with  his 

hands,  and  looks  out  over  the  desert.    He  calls  to  Sarah.] 


Fig.  7. — The  three  guests  bless  Abraham  and  Sarah 


Abraham:    Sarah,  my  wife,   come  hither!     Lo,   I  see 
three  strangers  approaching  over  the  desert. 

[Sarah  comes  out  of  the  tent  and  looks  also.] 
Sarah:    They  wdll  be  weary  and  in  need  of  rest.     I  will 
hasten  and  prepare  food  and  drink  for  them  also. 
[Sarah  goes  away.    Abraham  rises  to  meet  the  strangers;  he 
falls  on  the  ground  before  them.] 


Dramatization  of  ''Abraham"  89 

Abraham:  Welcome,  strangers,  to  the  tent  of  Abraham! 
If  I  have  found  favor  in  thy  sight,  pass  not  away,  I  pray 
thee!  Let  now  a  little  water  be  fetched  and  wash  your 
feet,  and  rest  yourselves  under  the  tree;  and  I  will  fetch 
a  morsel  of  bread,  and  this  will  strengthen  your  hearts; 
after  that  ye  shall  pass  on. 

The  Three  Strangers:  So  do  as  thou  hast  said,  good 
Abraham. 

[Abraham  turns  to  the  servants  who  are  standing  near.] 

Abraham:  Haste  ye,  bring  water;  fetch  a  calf,  tender 
and  good.  [Servants  hasten  away.]  [To  the  strangers]: 
Sarah,  my  wife,  will  make  ready  three  measures  of  fine  meal 
and  knead  it  into  cakes. 

First  Stranger:  Our  host,  Abraham,  is  a  true  servant  of 
the  Lord. 

Second  Stranger:  We  are  indeed  weary;  we  have 
journeyed  far  across  the  desert. 

[Servants  appear  with  water  and  food.     Sarah  also  brings 
food  to  them.] 

Sarah:  Drink  thou  this  fresh  milk,  and  refresh  thyself 
with  these  dates,  for  ye  look  weary. 

Third  Stranger:    This  is  indeed  a  rest. 

[Sarah  goes  into  the  tent  and  the  strangers  finish  eating. 
The  strangers  rise  to  go.] 

Abraham:    Tarry  yet  awhile  with  us. 

First  Stranger:  We  thank  thee,  good  Abraham,  but  we 
must  be  on  our  way. 

Second  Stranger:  We  would  speak  with  thee  and  thy 
wife,  Sarah.     Where  is  thy  wife  ? 

Abraham:     Sarah,  come  hither. 

[Sarah  appears.] 


90     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Third  Stranger:  We  bring  you  a  message  from  the  Lord. 
You  shall  have  a  son,  and  his  name  shall  be  Isaac.  He 
shall  be  the  father  of  many  men,  and  thousands  shall  respect 
him. 

Sarah:    Surely,  this  cannot  come  to  pass! 

Abraham:    Thanks  be  to  God  for  this  great  gift! 

[Sarah  and  Abraham  Jail  down  on  their  knees  before  the 

strangers.     The  strangers  stretch  out  their  hands 

to  bless  them.] 

Three  Strangers:  The  Lord  will  bless  you,  Sarah  and 
Abraham ! 

[The  strangers  depart.     Abraham  and  Sarah  arise.] 

Abraham  and  Sarah:  Surely  these  were  angels  from  the 
Lord! 

End 

As  this  play  was  very  short,  the  suggestion  was 
made  that  we  might  lengthen  the  program,  as  well 
as  make  it  more  interesting,  by  having  some  of  the 
children  tell  the  audience  just  how  we  worked  up 
the  dramatization.  The  two  older  girls  undertook 
this  and  decided  entirely  by  themselves  just  what 
they  would  say.  One  of  them  wrote  with  great 
care  a  description  of  the  method  of  procedure. 
She  read  it  to  the  club  for  approval,  then  she 
learned  it  by  heart  and  gave  it  in  an  interesting 
manner  to  the  audience  on  the  day  the  play  was 
given.  The  other  girl  wrote  a  poem  about  it,  and 
recited  it  just  before  the  play  was  given.  The 
description  and  poem  are  as  follows: 


Dramatization  of  ''Abraham"  91 

THE   INTRODUCTION 
By  Margaret  Miller 

The  play  which  the  children  are  now  going  to  give— 
Abraham  and  the  Three  Guests — has  been  worked  out  and 
practiced  at  the  dramatic  club.  This  club  meets  every 
Sunday  afternoon  from  three  until  four  o'clock,  and  is 
composed  of  any  of  the  children  of  the  Sunday  school  who 
wish  to  belong. 

The  first  Sunday  Miss  Miller  told  the  story  to  the  mem- 
bers, and  then  they,  knowing  it,  acted  it  out,  making  up 
the  parts  as  they  went  along.  This  they  did  several  times 
until  they  knew  the  story  perfectly. 

The  two  oldest  girls  did  not  take  part  in  the  acting  of  the 
play,  but  became  assistants  and  helped  Miss  Miller  direct 
it.  During  the  next  week  the  assistants  wrote  out  the 
speeches  very  much  as  the  children  had  made  them  up. 
These  were  read  before  the  club  and  discussed,  and  after  a 
number  of  suggestions  had  been  added  by  all  the  children 
present  the  scene  was  finally  written  as  it  now  is. 

The  children  each  took  home  a  part  to  learn,  and  the 
following  Sunday  they  all  tried  the  different  speeches. 
Before  the  final  characters  were  chosen  each  child  was  able 
to  represent  any  one  of  them.  The  final  characters  were 
decided  upon  by  the  group  and  were  chosen  according  to 
their  preferences  and  their  ability  to  enact  the  different  parts. 

Unfortunately,  most  of  the  costumes  which  the  club 
had  on  hand  were  much  too  small  for  the  children  this  year. 
We  therefore  held  a  sewing-bee  during  the  week,  and 
lengthened  the  old  ones  or  made  new  ones  where  we  found 
it  necessary. 

We  have  worked  on  this  play  for  five  meetings,  which 
represents  altogether  five  hours,  except  for  a  little  work 
that  the  assistants  did  outside. 


92    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

We  have  had  much  fun  with  this  play,  and  we  are  hoping 
that  you  will  enjoy  it  too. 

POEM 
By  Melba  Pyle 

Before  you  soon  you  shall  see 

The  story  of  Abraham  and  the  Strangers  Three. 

The  partakers,  they  have  worked; 

The  assistants,  they  have  shirked — 

But  not  as  much  as  you  would  think, 

For  they  have  helped  to  join  each  link. 

As  day  by  day  passed  quickly  away 

We  read  the  Bible  and  wrote  the  play. 

Each  child  helped  as  best  he  could. 

And  thus  we  worked  in  brotherhood. 

Word  with  word  we  did  neatly  join. 

Then  home  we  went,  our  parts  to  learn. 

Next  to  the  box  where  the  costumes  lay, 

And  straight  to  sewing  and  not  to  play. 

And  'tis  our  happy  aim,  you  see, 

To  make  you  joyous  as  can  be! 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  DANIEL  IN  THE 
LIONS'  DEN 

The  story  of  Daniel  in  the  Lions^  Den  was  drama- 
tized by  the  members  of  the  club  according  to  the 
same  methods  as  those  which  were  used  in  connec- 
tion with  the  story  of  A  braham  and  the  Three  Guests. 

This  play  is  given  here  in  order  to  show  how  a 
story  which  deals  with  a  miraculous  event  may  be 
treated.  When  Daniel  was  thrust  into  the  den 
of  lions,  he  was  in  reality  put  out  of  the  door  which 
opens  at  the  side  of  the  stage.  The  children 
readily  came  to  the  decision  that  it  was  unnecessary 
to  show  Daniel  actually  in  the  den  of  Hons  on  the 
stage.  In  telling  the  story  no  explanation  was 
made  or  asked  for  concerning  the  miracle  which 
happened.  The  children  accepted  it  and  enjoyed 
it  as  they  would  any  other  good  story. 

The  final  play  which  follows  represents  entirely 

the  children's  interpretation;    the  product  is  their 

own. 

DANIEL  IN  THE  LIONS'    DEN 

SCENE   I 

Place:     The  court  room  of  King  Darius. 
Characters:    King  Darius,  Daniel,  Four  Conspirators, 
Soldiers,  Servants. 

93 


94    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

[King  Darius  is  seated  on  his  throne.    Soldiers  and  attend- 
ants stand  nearby.     The  conspirators  are  talking  together 
at  one  side.    Daniel,  followed  by  two  soldiers,  comes  in 
and  kneels  before  the  King.] 
Daniel:    King  Darius,  live  forever! 
King  Darius:     Good  Daniel,  I  have  sent  for  thee  that 
thou  mayest  know  my  will.     It  has  pleased  me  to  set  over 
my  kingdom  one  hundred  and  twenty  princes,  and  over 
these  princes  have  I  set  three  rulers.     Thou  hast  been  so 
faithful  and  true  that  I  wish  to  make  thee  the  first  of  these 
three  rulers.     Thou  shalt  have  great  responsibility,  and 
thou  shalt  report   to  me  when  thou   thinkest  it  well  to 
do  so. 

Daniel:  Thou  art  kind  and  gracious  unto  me,  O  King! 
May  the  Lord,  Jehovah,  help  me  to  do  this. 

King  Darius:     Come  unto  the  feast,  Daniel,  and  have 
the  royal  robe  placed  on  thee. 
[Daniel  bows  to  the  King  and  they  both  go  out,  followed  by 

the  soldiers  and  servants.] 
[The  conspirators  are  left  alone  in  the  room.  They  ^how 
great  anger  and  begin  talking  to  each  other.] 
First  Conspirator:  See  how  this  Daniel  has  found  favor 
in  the  King's  sight!  He  is  not  of  our  country,  he  belongs 
to  the  Hebrew  people;  but  the  King  has  appointed  him  over 
us  all!     We  must  destroy  this  Daniel. 

Second  Conspirator:  Yea,  thou  art  right.  What  can 
we  do? 

[They  all  walk  back  and  forth  in  deep  thought.] 

Third  Conspirator:     I  can  think  of  nothing  against  him ! 

Fourth  Conspirator:  Thou  sayest  the  truth;  he  hath 
no  fault.     He  is  faithful  and  doth  nothing  wrong. 

First  Conspirator:  I  can  think  of  nothing,  save  that  we 
find  it  against  him  concerning  his  God. 


Dramatization  of  ''Daniel"  95 

Fourth  Conspirator:  Ah,  that  is  true;  Daniel  worshipeth 
a  different  God;  I  have  seen  him  praying  thrice  in  one  day. 

Second  Conspirator:  Let  us  influence  the  King  to  make 
a  firm  decree  that  whosoever  shall  worship  any  God  or  man, 
save  the  King,  for  thirty  days,  he  shall  be  cast  into  the  den 
of  lions. 

Third  Conspirator:  That  soundeth  well!  If  Daniel  be 
faithful  to  his  God,  he  will  surely  disobey  this  decree;  and 
if  the  King  once  signeth  it,  the  law  of  the  Medes  and  the 
Persians  saith  that  it  cannot  be  altered. 

First  Conspirator:  Ah,  this  will  surely  be  Daniel's  ruin 
now! 

Fourth  Conspirator:  Come,  let  us  hasten  to  the  King  and 
have  him  establish  and  sign  this  decree.  He  will  be  pleased ; 
he  will  not  think  of  Daniel. 

Third  Conspirator:  Yea,  we  will  hasten  before  the 
setting  of  the  sun. 

SCENE  11 

Place:    The  same  as  in  scene  i. 

Characters  :    The  same  as  in  scene  i. 

Time:     Several  days  after  the  events  in  scene  i. 
[The  King  is  seated  on  his  throne.     The  Jour  conspirators 
come  before  the  King  and  kneel.] 

The  Conspirators:    Great  King  Darius,  live  forever! 

King  Darius:    Arise,  my  friends! 

First  Conspirator:  O  King,  hast  thou  not  signed  a 
decree  that  he  who  shall  pray  to  any  God  or  man  within 
thirty  days,  save  to  thee,  shall  be  cast  into  the  den  of  lions  ? 

King  Darius:  This  thing  is  true,  according  to  the  law 
of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  which  altereth  not. 

Second  Conspirator:  A  man  in  thy  kingdom  regardeth 
not  this  law,  and  doth  pray  to  his  God  three  times  a  day — 
we  have  seen  him! 


g6     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

King  [with  anger]:  Who  is  this  man  that  breaketh  my 
laws? 

First  Conspirator:  He  is  Daniel,  whom  thou  hast  favored 
and  made  ruler! 

King  Darius  [with  surprise  and  sadness]:  Daniel!  It 
cannot  be!     Daniel  must  not  die,  for  I  love  him. 

Third  Conspirator:  Thou  knowest,  O  King,  that  the 
law  of  the  Medes  and  Persians  is  that  no  decree  which  the 
King  establisheth  may  be  changed. 

King  [sadly]:  Thou  sayest  truly;  the  King's  word  may 
not  be  broken.     Bring  Daniel  hither. 

[Soldiers  go  for  Daniel.     The  King  walks  back  and  forth 
in  great  distress.] 

King  [talking  to  himself]:  Oh,  I  would  that  this  had  not 
happened! 

[Daniel  appears  and  bows  before  the  King.] 

King:  Why  hast  thou  disobeyed  my  law,  Daniel? 
Wherefore  didst  thou  pray  to  thy  God  when  thou  knewest 
of  my  decree  ? 

Daniel:  Great  King  Darius,  my  God,  the  God  to  whom 
I  pray,  is  the  true  God,  and  I  shall  worship  no  other.  Do 
with  me  what  thou  wilt. 

King:  Daniel,  I  would  that  thou  hadst  not  done  this 
thing,  for  I  love  thee.  Thou  art  a  brave  and  bold  man! 
Thy  God  whom  thou  servest  continually,  he  will  deliver 
thee!  [To  the  soldiers]:  Take  this  man  from  me;  cast  him 
iiito  the  den  of  lions. 
\Soldiers  take  Daniel  and  thrust  him  into  the  den.     The  door 

is  closed,  and  the  King  seals  it  with  his  signet.     The  King 

and  attendants  withdraw.     The  conspirators  are  alone.] 

First  Conspirator:  Daniel  has  fallen  at  last!  No  longer 
will  he  be  the  King's  favorite! 

Fourth  Conspirator:    We,  instead,  will  be  the  favored  ones ! 
[They  leave  the  room  in  high  spirits.] 


Dramatization  of  ''Daniel"  97 

SCENE   III 

Place:    The  same  as  in  scene  i. 

Characters:    The  same  as  in  scene  i. 

Time:    The  next  morning  after  the  events  in  scene  ii. 
[The  King  hastens  to  the  door  of  the  lions^  den.] 

King  [calling  eagerly]:  O  Daniel,  servant  of  the  Hving 
God,  is  thy  God,  whom  thou  servest  continually,  able  to 
deliver  thee  from  the  lions  ? 

Daniel  [from  within]'.  O  King,  live  forever!  My  God 
hath  sent  his  angel  and  hath  shut  the  lions'  mouths,  and 
they  have  not  hurt  me,  for  the  Lord  knoweth  that  I  have 
done  no  wrong,  either  before  him  or  thee,  O  King! 

King  [to  servants  who  have  followed  him  into  the  room] : 
Come  hither,  servants!  Quickly  bring  Daniel  out  that  I 
may  see  him! 

[The  door  is  opened,  and  Daniel  comes  out.     The  King 
shows  great  joy  in  greeting  him.] 

King:    Thy  God  is  truly  the  living  God!     Bring  forth 
the  men  that  have  done  Daniel  this  wrong.     Cast  them  into 
the  lions'  den. 
[The  conspirators  are  standing  in  the  room,  looking  at  Daniel 

in  astonishment.     The  soldiers  seize  them  and  push  them 

down  into  the  den.    As  they  go  they  cry  to  the  King.] 

Conspirators:    O  King,  spare  us! 

King:  I  will  now  sign  a  decree  that  in  every  dominion 
of  my  kingdom  men  shall  bow  before  the  God  of  Daniel, 
for  he  is  the  only  true  God.  He  delivereth  and  rescueth  and 
worketh  great  wonders;  he  hath  saved  Daniel  from  the 
power  of  the  lions. 

Daniel:  The  Lord  God  will  surely  bless  thee  for  this 
good  thing! 

End 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  DRAMATIZATION  OF  NEW  TESTAMENT 
PARABLES 

Many  of  the  New  Testament  parables  present 
interesting  problems  for  dramatization.  The  selec- 
tion should  be  limited  to  those  which  involve 
dramatic  situations  and  unity  of  structure.  The 
simplicity  and  conciseness  of  words  and  actions 
in  many  of  the  parables  are  qualities  which  call 
forth  a  ready  and  free  response  from  children. 

Among  the  parables  which  have  been  worked 
out  by  the  dramatic  club  are  The  Good  Samaritan, 
The  Wise  and  Foolish  Virgins,  The  Great  Supper, 
The  Talents,  The  Prodigal  Son, 

In  the  case  of  these  short  parables  the  story  was 
not  told  first,  but  the  parable  was  read  to  the  chil- 
dren directly  from  the  Bible.  There  was  no  dis- 
cussion as  to  the  truths  supposed  to  be  taught,  the 
emphasis  being  placed  entirely  upon  the  story  ele- 
ment involved.  The  customs  of  the  times  and  the 
division  of  the  story  into  scenes  were  discussed  as 
fully  as  was  done  with  other  stories.  Usually 
one  or  two  meetings  were  all  that  were  necessary 
for  working  one  of  these  parables  into  dramatic 
form.     When  it  was  completed,  the  result  was  not 

98 


New  Testament  Parables  99 

a  finished  product,  as  the  words  and  action  had 
been  interpreted  with  shght  variations  each  time. 
The  children  learned  the  story  by  heart,  as  it  is 
given  in  the  Bible.  This  influenced  their  words 
when  they  were  dramatizing. 

Several  parables  were  given  together  at  the 
meeting  when  parents  and  friends  were  invited. 
One  child  recited  the  Bible  version  just  before  the 
play  was  given.  This  feature  added  interest  and 
dignity  to  the  occasion. 

The  parables  were  given  in  the  following  order: 

THE  WISE  AND   FOOLISH  VIRGINS 

[Ten  virgins  with  their  lamps  are  waiting  for  the  bridegroom.] 

First  Virgin:  The  bridegroom  tarries;  let  us  rest  here 
awhile. 

Other  Virgins:    Yea,  let  us  rest. 

{They  all  sit  down  and  go  to  sleep.] 

A  Cry  Without:  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh!  Go 
ye  out  to  meet  him ! 

[All  the  virgins  get  up  hurriedly.     The  five  wise  ones,  with  oil 

in  their  lamps,  stand  in  readiness.     The  five  foolish 

ones  are  in  great  confusion.] 

First  Foolish  Virgin:  We  have  no  oil!  Our  lamps  are 
gone  out ! 

Second  Foolish  Virgin  [speaking  to  the  five  wise  virgins] : 
Give  us  of  your  oil— we  have  none. 

First  Wise  Virgin:  Not  so,  lest  there  be  not  enough  for 
ourselves  and  for  you.  But  go  ye  rather  to  them  that  sell, 
and  buy  for  yourselves. 

[The  foolish  virgins  hasten  away.]  ■ 


loo    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

A  Cry  Without:    Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh!     Go 
ye  out  to  meet  him ! 
[The  Bridegroom  comes  in,  followed  by  a  few  attendants. 

He  walks  by,  and  the  five  wise  virgins  follow  him.     They 

go  in  a  door  which  is  closed  after  them.     The  foolish  virgins 

come  hurriedly  back  and  rush  to  the  door.     They  beat  on  it 

and  call  out  several  times.] 

Foolish  Virgins:    Lord,  Lord,  open  unto  us! 

[The  door  opens  and  the  Bridegroom  stands  there.] 

Bridegroom:     Depart,  I  know  you  not! 
End 

During  the  work  on  this  play  the  question  arose 
as  to  the  kind  of  lamps  that  were  used  at  the  time 
of  the  story.  The  children  looked  up  pictures  and 
descriptions,  and  from  these  they  made  themselves 
lamps  out  of  plasticene  or  clay.  Fig.  8  is  a  photo- 
graph of  one  of  the  scenes  taken  out  of  doors. 
The  lamps  can  be  seen,  also  the  simple  costumes 
which  the  children  worked  out. 

THE   GREAT   SUPPER 

[The  Master  of  the  feast  stands  in  his  door  and  speaks  to  his 
servant.] 

The  Master:     Go,  bid  my  friends  come  to  the  supper,  for 
all  things  are  now  ready! 
[The  servant  bows;    the  Master  goes  into  the  house.     The 

servarit  walks  down  the  street,  and  as  he  meets  people  he 

delivers  his  IMaster's  message.] 

Servant  [to  the  men  as  they  come  by]:  My  Master  bids 
thee  come  to  his  feast,  for  all  things  are  now  ready! 


New  Testament  Parables 


lOI 


I02    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

First  Man:  Say  to  thy  Master  that  I  have  bought  a 
piece  of  land  and  must  needs  go  and  see  it.  I  pray  thee  have 
me  excused. 

[The  servant  bows  and  the  man  passes  on.     The  servant 
delivers  the  message  to  the  second  man.] 

Second  Man:  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen;  I  must 
go  to  prove  them.     I  pray  thee  have  me  excused. 

Third  Man:  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  therefore  I 
cannot  come. 

[The  servant  goes  lack  to  his  Master's  house;  the  Master 
comes  out  to  meet  him.] 

Servant  [falls  on  his  knees  before  his  Master]  :  O  sir,  I 
did  as  thou  commandedst,  but  one  by  one  they  made  excuse, 
and  would  not  come  to  thy  supper.  One  man  had  just 
bought  a  piece  of  land  and  must  go  to  see  it;  another  had 
bought  five  yoke  of  oxen,  and  was  on  his  way  to  prove  them ; 
and  another  had  just  married  a  wife.  All  begged  that  thou 
excuse  them. 

Master  [shows  great  anger] :  What !  They  that  are  bid- 
den refuse  to  come  to  my  feast!  Go  out  quickly  into  the 
streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  and  bring  in  hither  the  maimed, 
and  the  halt,  and  the  blind! 

[The  Master  goes  into  his  house,  and  the  servant  again  walks 
down  the  street.] 

Servant  [as  he  meets  the  lame,  the  halt,  and  the  blind]: 
Come!  My  Master  invites  you  to  a  great  supper,  which  is 
now  prepared  at  his  house ! 

[Each  person,  or  group  of  persons,  bows  and  thanks  him  with 
such  remarks  as] — 

Maimed,  Halt,  Blind:  We  thank  thee;  we  will  be  there. 
We  gladly  accept  this  invitation. 

[The  Master  stands  in  the  door  to  receive  his  guests  as  they 

come.     When  they  are  all  in,  the  servant  comes 

back  to  his  Master.] 


New  Testament  Parables  103 

Servant:  Lord,  it  is  done  as  thou  hast  commanded,  and 
yet  there  is  room. 

Master:  Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  com- 
pel them  to  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled.  For  I 
say  unto  you  that  none  of  those  men  that  were  bidden  shall 
taste  of  my  supper ! 

[The  servant  hows;   the  Master  goes  in.] 

End 
THE  GOOD  SAMARITAN 

SCENE   I 

Place:    The  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho. 

Characters:  A  Traveler,  Thieves,  a  Priest,  a  Levite, 
a  Samaritan. 

[A  man  comes  along  the  road  carrying  his  bundle  over  his 
hack.  Many  thieves  rush  out  from  amhush  and  attack  him. 
Some  knock  him  down  and  roh  him,  while  others  are  lookmg 
anxiously  up  and  down  the  road.  After  heating  and  cutting 
the  man  they  go  of,  thinking  that  he  is  dead. 

As  the  traveler  lies  groaning  and  heggingfor  water,  a  priest 
comes  along  the  road,  hut  when  he  sees  the  man  he  passes  hy 
on  the  other  side  of  the  road.  Also  a  Levite  comes  along,  and 
after  looking  at  the  ma7i  passes  hy  on  the  other  side  of  the  road. 

Then  a  Samaritan  comes  along,  and  as  soon  as  he  hears  the 
groans  he  hastens  over  to  the  man.  He  kneels  down  and  looks 
at  him  and  speaks.] 

Good  Samaritan:  What  is  this — a  man!  Hast  thou 
been  hurt,  my  friend  ? 

Man:  Oh,  help  me!  Thieves  fell  upon  me  and  took  all 
I  had,  and  have  left  me  here  to  die. 

Good  Samaritan:  I  will  help  thee,  my  good  friend;  thy 
wounds  shall  be  bound.     Drink  this  wine.     It  may  help 


I04   The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 


6 


New  Testament  Parables  105 

thee.  Art  thou  able  to  get  on  this  beast  of  mine  ?  I  will 
take  thee  to  the  inn  where  thou  wilt  be  cared  for.  [He  helps 
the  man  to  rise  and  supports  him  as  he  hobbles  off.  They 
both  go  out.] 

SCENE   II 

Place:    The  Inn. 

Characters:    The  Samaritan,  the  Traveler,  the  Inn- 
keeper, 

[The  Good  Samaritan  brings  the  man  to  the  door  of  the  inn 
and  knocks.     The  Innkeeper  appears.] 

Innkeeper:    Good  day,  sir. 

Good  Samaritan:  Here  is  a  wounded  man.  Take  care 
of  him.  Here  is  money,  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest 
more,  when  I  come  again  I  will  repay  thee.  [He  gives  the 
Innkeeper  some  money.     The  Innkeeper  takes  the  man.] 

Traveler  [to  Good  Samaritan]:  God  bless  you,  my 
friend ! 

End 

THE  PRODIGAL  SON 
Act  I 

Place:     In  the  father's  home. 

Characters:    The  Younger  Brother,  the  Father,  the 
Elder  Brother,  Servants. 
[The  Father  and  Elder  Son  come  into  the  room  together. 
The  Younger  Son  comes  in  from  another  door.] 

Younger  Son:  Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that 
falleth  unto  me.  I  am  weary  of  living  at  home.  I  will  go 
into  some  far  country  and  make  my  fortune. 

Father:  My  son,  why  is  it  that  thou  desirest  this? 
Hast  thou  not  everything  at  home  ? 

Younger  Son:  Yea,  father,  but  I  beg  of  thee  to  divide 
thy  living  between  us.     I  must  have  my  share. 


io6    The  Dramatisation  of  Bible  Stories 

Father:  Thou  art  very  foolish;  nevertheless  I  will  do 
as  thou  askest.  [To  servant]:  Bring  my  money  bags. 
[To  Elder  Son]:  And  dost  thou  intend  to  take  thy  living 
also,  and  leave  thy  father  ? 

Elder  Son:  Nay,  father,  I  am  fully  content  to  live  with 
thee;  I  do  not  want  my  portion. 

[Servant  returns  with  money  bags.     Father  gives  money  to 
his  younger  son.] 

Father:    This  is  thy  share — use  it  wisely. 

Younger  Son:  I  thank  thee,  father.  I  shall  become  a 
rich  man  with  this;  but  now  I  must  leave  thee;  I  can  stay 
here  no  longer. 

Father:    This  grieves  me,  my  son,  for  I  know  that  thou 
art  foolish — but  go  and  learn  thy  lesson. 
[He  stretches  out  his  hands  toward  his  son  as  if  blessing  him.] 

Act  II 

SCENE   I 

Place  :    Along  the  roadside  in  a  distant  country. 

Characters:    The  Prodigal  Son,  a  Farmer. 
[The  Prodigal  Son  comes  down  the  road,  tired  and  hungry. 
He  sits  on  a  rock  and  talks.] 

Prodigal  Son:  Would  that  I  had  something  to  eat !  My 
money  is  all  spent,  and  there  is  famine  in  the  land.  What 
shall  I  do  ?  I  am  sick,  and  feel  that  I  may  soon  die.  If 
I  could  but  find  something  to  do  that  I  might  get  a  little 
food. 

[A  ma7i  comes  along.     The  Prodigal  Son  goes  toward  him 
and  falls  down  before  him.] 

Prodigal  Son:  O  sir,  I  am  starving  unto  death.  Wilt 
thou  give  me  any  task  to  do  that  I  may  make  enough  to 
keep  me  alive  ? 


New  Testament  Parables  107 

Man:  I  have  no  work  to  be  done — unless  it  be  to  take 
care  of  my  swine.  Thou  wilt  find  them  in  yon  field;  they 
need  a  keeper. 

Prodigal  Son:    I  will  gladly  do  this. 
^He  goes  of  joyfully.] 

SCENE   II 

Place:    In  the  field  with  the  swine. 

Character:    The  Prodigal  Son. 
[The  Prodigal  Son  comes  in  driving  the  pigs.    lie  sits 
down.] 

Prodigal  Son:  How  horrible  is  this  life;  I  am  dying  of 
hunger.  No  man  will  give  me  anything — all  I  get  to  eat 
is  the  food  that  I  give  the  pigs.  Oh,  I  wish  that  I  had  never 
left  home!  How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father's  have 
bread  enough  and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  with  hunger!  I 
will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him, 
"Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee,  and 
am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son;  make  me  as  one 
of  thy  hired  servants." 

[He  rises  and  goes  away  hurriedly.] 

Act  in 

scene  I 

Place:    In  front  of  the  father's  home. 
Characters:     The    Father,    the    Prodigal    Son,    the 
Servants. 

[The  Father  stands  looking  for  his  son.] 
Father:    It  seemeth  to  me  that  I  see  my  son  coming 
home !     I  knew  that  he  would  come !     I  will  go  to  meet  him ! 
[He  meets  him.]    It  is  my  son!     [The  Father  shows  great 
joy.     The  Son  falls  on  his  knees  before  his  father.] 


io8    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Prodigal  Son:  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and 
before  thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son. 

Father:  Bring  forth  the  best  robe  and  put  it  on  him; 
and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet;  and  bring 
hither  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  eat  and  be  merry, 
for  this  my  son  was  dead  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  lost  and 
is  found! 

SCENE   II 

Place:    In  the  field,  near  the  father's  house. 
Characters:    Elder  Son,  Servant,  the  Father. 
[The  Elder  Son  is  hoeing  in  the  field.     A  servant  comes  out. 
The  Elder  Son  calls  to  him.] 

Elder  Son:  I  hear  music  and  dancing  in  the  house; 
what  do  these  things  mean  ? 

Servant:  Thy  brother  is  come;  thy  father  hath  killed 
the  fatted  calf,  because  he  hath  received  him  safe  and  sound. 
Thy  father  sendeth  for  thee  to  come  in,  [The  Elder 
Brother  shows  anger.] 

Elder  Brother:    I  will  not  go  in.     Why  should  he  make 
merry  over  my  brother  who  has  wasted  his  living  ? 
[The  Father  comes  out.] 

Father:  My  son,  wilt  thou  come  unto  the  feast  ?  Thy 
lost  brother  hath  returned! 

Elder  So?i:  Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee; 
neither  have  I  at  any  time  disobeyed  thee,  yet  thou  never 
gavest  me  a  kid  that  I  might  make  merry  with  my  friends. 
But  as  soon  as  thy  son  was  come,  which  hath  wasted  thy 
living,  thou  hast  killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf. 

Father:     Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all  that  I  have 

is  thine.     It  was  meet  that  we  should  make  merry  and  be 

glad,  for  this  thy  brother  was  dead  and  is  alive  again;   he 

was  lost  and  is  found.     Come  thou  in  to  greet  thy  brother! 

[They  both  go  in.] 

End 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  DRAMATIC  QUALITIES  IN  A  GOOD  STORY 

The  stories  in  the  Bible,  if  taken  just  as  they  are 
given,  present  a  body  of  material  which  is  compli- 
cated by  a  historical  background  and  a  rehgious 
symbohsm  that  is  remote  from  the  young  child's 
experience.  They  embody  the  historical  incidents 
as  well  as  the  myths  and  folklore  of  ancient  Hebrew 
life,  and  for  the  most  part  they  express  the  highest 
idealism  of  the  Hebrew  people.  There  is  no  reason, 
however,  why  good  stories  and  appropriate  inci- 
dents may  not  be  given  to  children  from  this  body 
of  material  through  selecting  from  and  simplifying 
the  bibhcal  version.  A  great  deal  of  what  is  in 
the  Bible  should  not  be  used,  but  there  is  much 
that  is  highly  dramatic  and  becomes  valuable  for 
dramatization. 

It  is  possible  to  adapt  an  incident  by  simplifying, 
and  in  a  measure  reorganizing,  the  parts,  and  yet 
to  keep  the  dignity  and  integrity  of  the  story  as 
it  is  given  in  the  Bible.  The  attitude  of  the  chil- 
dren, created  by  contact  with  this  type  of  story, 
should  be  one  of  reverence  and  dignity,  coupled 
with  a  consciousness  of  the  high  ideals  of  the  people 
they  are  impersonating. 

109 


no    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Before  any  attempt  is  made  to  select  parts  of  the 
Bible  narrative  for  dramatization  the  leader,  or 
director  of  the  children,  should  have  well  in  mind 
standards  which  will  help  in  making  the  part  that 
is  chosen  a  well-organized  story.  When  any  good 
story  is  analyzed  it  is  found  to  be  built  upon  an 
underlying  basic  structure.  There  is  always  a 
beginning  or  setting;  a  middle  part,  where  the  inci- 
dents rise  to  a  climax;  and  an  end,  where  the  events 
of  the  story  are  satisfactorily  worked  out.  There 
should  be  a  feeling  of  movement  straight  through 
the  story;  the  incidents  should  develop;  there 
should  be  action  that  leads  to  some  end.  A  unity 
must  underlie  the  whole  story — there  must  be  no 
part  which  is  not  essential  to  the  working  out  of 
the  plan.  The  end  of  the  story  should  give  a  sense 
of  completeness,  of  satisfaction. 

It  is  often  the  case  that  the  three  essential  parts 
of  the  story  call  for  three  acts  when  the  story  is 
dramatized.  In  some  of  our  modern  dramas  five 
acts,  but  in  many  only  three  acts,  are  required  in 
order  to  complete  the  structure.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, all  three  parts  of  a  story  may  be  given  in  a 
one-act  dramatization.  Before  a  story  is  drama- 
tized it  is  very  necessary  that  it  be  told  so  clearly 
that  the  children  are  conscious  of  these  parts; 
otherwise  the  resulting  drama  will  lack  in  organi- 
zation. No  matter  how  elaborate  or  simple  the 
story,  the  children  should  have  a  feehng  for  the 


Dramatic  Qualities  in  a  Good  Story    hi 

basic  structure,  which  should  guide  the  form  of 
the  dramatization. 

The  leader  in  charge  of  a  dramatic  club  in  which 
Bible  stories  are  used  must  take  the  responsibility 
of  changing  the  Bible  version  so  as  to  make  an 
organic  unit  of  the  story  and  yet  keep  the  spirit 
and  big  meaning.  There  are  many  parts  of  the 
Bible  narrative  which  already  embody  this  simple 
organization — or  division  into  related  elements — 
if  all  of  the  heavy,  unnecessary  incidents  are 
omitted.^ 

Although  the  main  purpose  of  these  dramatiza- 
tions is  not  that  an  artistic  result  be  secured,  yet 
that  is  an  important  factor,  and  should  be  recog- 
nized by  both  the  leader  and  the  children.  The 
product  many  times  will  be  necessarily  crude  and 
lacking  in  the  aesthetic  element,  but  nevertheless 
there  should  be  an  attempt,  even  though  gradually, 
to  train  the  children  toward  a  recognition  and  an 
appreciation  of  the  artistic  qualities  of  the  literary 
production  they  put  forth,  as  well  as  of  the  stage 
groupings  and  effects. 

^As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  often  the  later  editorial  additions  to 
the  simple  old  stories  that  have  produced  the  cumbrous  effect. 
When  the  original  story  is  recovered,  it  lends  itself  much  better 
to  the  purpose  here  discussed.  Such  a  reorganization  of  the 
stories  with  a  preservation  of  the  biblical  language  has  been  made 
in  Scares'  Heroes  of  Israel  (The  University  of  Chicago  Press), 
where  also  there  is  much  illustrative  material  interpretative  of 
the  situations. 


112    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

Care  must  be  taken  that  the  stories  chosen  are 
ethically  sound.  The  story  of  Jacob  is  one  that 
may  well  be  omitted.  Jacob  deceives,  and  yet 
all  the  good  things  in  life  come  to  him — he  takes 
them  away  from  those  who  rightfully  have  earned 
them.  This  injustice  in  the  story  always  raises 
a  question  in  the  minds  of  the  children,  and  for 
this  reason  it  is  not  a  good  story.  The  stories  of 
Samson,  Jephthah,  Jael,  and  others  on  this  order 
should  be  eliminated  for  similar  reasons.  They 
are  each  based  upon  attitudes  toward  society  and 
standards  of  friendship  which  are  now  outgrown. 
There  are  so  many  simple  episodes  in  the  Bible 
that  can  easily  be  readjusted  into  well-constructed 
stories,  about  which  there  can  be  no  question  of  the 
moral  value,  that  no  time  need  be  wasted  in  con- 
sidering any  story  about  which  there  is  the  least 
suggestion  of  an  unethical  quality  when  judged  by 
our  present-day  standards. 


CHAPTER  XII 
BIBLE  STORIES  SUITABLE  FOR  DRAMATIZATION 

The  stories  which  have  been  taken  for  drama- 
tization in  the  previous  chapters  were  not  chosen 
because  they  are  the  best  ones  for  that  purpose,  but 
because  they  represent  different  kinds  of  stories 
and  illustrate  the  opportunity  for  various  methods 
of  presentation.  There  are  many  other  stories  and 
incidents  in  the  Bible  which  are  equal  to,  or  better 
than,  those  described. 

A  hst  of  some  of  these  stories  is  given  below, 
together  with  a  few  of  the  most  essential  points 
which  should  be  considered  in  dramatizing  each. 
No  attempt  is  made  to  give  the  story  in  full  or  to 
elaborate  the  dramatization;  the  plan  for  each  is 
merely  suggestive. 

I.    SAMUEL 
I   SAMUEL,   CHAPTERS    2    AND   3 

The  story  of  Samuel  may  be  worked  into  a  short 
play  of  one  or  two  scenes.  The  most  interesting 
and  dramatic  incident  is  the  familiar  one  of  the 
Voice  Calhng  Samuel  at  Night.  The  first  part  of 
the  story,  however,  is  beautiful,  and  may  be  used 
along  with  this  incident. 

113 


114    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

In  scene  i  Hannah  brings  little  Samuel  to  the 
temple  and  dedicates  him  to  the  Lord.  Eli,  the  old 
priest,  takes  the  child  to  live  with  him  in  the 
temple  so  that  he  may  train  him  to  serve  the 
Lord. 

Scene  ii  takes  place  several  years  later.  It  is 
night  time,  and  the  child  Samuel  is  sleeping  near 
the  old  priest,  Eli.  He  thinks  he  hears  a  voice 
calling  him,  and  he  runs  to  Eli  to  ask  what  he  wants. 
Eli  has  not  called  him  and  tells  him  to  he  down 
again.  Three  times  he  runs  to  Eli,  thinking  that 
he  hears  him  calling.  Then  the  priest  tells  him 
that  it  must  be  the  Lord  who  has  spoken  and  tells 
Samuel  what  to  say  the  next  time  he  is  called. 
Samuel  hears  the  message  from  the  Lord  and,  upon 
Eli's  request,  tells  him  what  he  has  heard.  Eli 
realizes  that  the  Lord  has  spoken  truly,  and  accepts 
his  fate  as  just.  He  praises  Samuel  and  tells  him 
that  he  will  soon  leave  the  care  of  the  temple  and 
of  the  people  of  Israel  to  him. 

Neither  in  this  play,  nor  in  any  other  play,  should 
there  be  an  attempt  to  represent  the  Lord's  voice. 
The  child  may  listen  as  if  he  were  hearing  someone 
speaking,  and  from  what  he  says  and  does  the 
audience  will  be  aware  of  what  is  happening.  For 
the  sake  of  the  result,  from  an  artistic  point  of  view, 
such  parts  as  this  should  always  be  left  to  the 
imagination,  no  attempt  being  made  to  interpret 
them  literally. 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization      115 

2.    THE   QUEEN   OF    SHEBA's   VISIT   TO   SOLOMON 
I   KINGS,    CHAPTER    lO 

The  visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  to  Solomon 
furnishes  a  unit  of  work  for  a  short  one-act  drama- 
tization. There  is  no  plot  or  comphcated  situation 
involved  and  there  is  very  little  activity  suggested. 
The  attention  of  the  children  may  well  be  directed, 
however,  to  the  description  of  Solomon's  court  and 
of  the  rich  gifts  which  were  exchanged.  This  is  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  have  the  children  do  con- 
struction work.  They  should  make  many  things 
which  will  help  to  give  the  impression  of  richness 
to  the  court.  They  may  also  make  their  own 
costumes  richer  by  adding  jewels  and  bright- 
colored  sashes  and  headdresses. 

This  little  dramatization  will  include  many  chil- 
dren. A  number  will  be  needed  to  come  in  with 
the  Queen  of  Sheba,  and  there  should  be  many 
attendants  upon  King  Solomon.  The  conversa- 
tion will  be  for  the  most  part  between  Solomon  and 
the  Queen,  heralds  and  servants  making  announce- 
ments. 

The  play  opens  with  the  Queen  of  Sheba's 
arrival  at  the  court  of  Solomon.  Messengers 
announce  her  to  the  King.  Solomon  talks  with 
the  Queen  and  she  tells  him  that  she  admires  his 
great  wisdom  and  his  wealth.  Then  Solomon  com- 
mands that  the  feast  be  served,  and  while  they  eat 


ii6    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

the  Queen  presents  her  gifts  to  Solomon.  When 
the  Queen  takes  her  leave  Solomon  gives  her 
wonderful  presents.  The  play  will  end  with  the 
exit  of  the  Queen  and  her  attendants. 

Unless  the  children  put  much  thought  upon  the 
stage  setting  and  the  conversation,  this  incident 
may  prove  uninteresting.  It  has,  however,  great 
possibilities  for  the  working  out  of  a  beautiful 
picture. 

3.   JOSHUA   AND    the    GIBEONITES 
JOSHUA,    CHAPTER   9 

The  story  of  Joshua  and  the  Gibeonites  is  so 
simply  told  in  the  Bible  that  children  of  nine  or 
ten  years  of  age  can  read  it  as  it  is  given  and 
dramatize  it  directly  from  that  version. 

The  dramatization  of  this  narrative  calls  for 
many  characters.  The  older  children  may  take  the 
parts  of  Joshua  and  the  leaders  of  the  Gibeonites, 
while  the  younger  ones  are  needed  for  Israehte 
soldiers  and  citizens  of  Gibeon.  All  the  charac- 
ters in  the  play  will  need  to  do  much  acting  even 
though  they  do  not  enter  into  the  conversation. 

Although  the  dramatization  should  be  a  product 
of  the  children's  work,  yet  the  leader  should  have 
well  in  mind  the  three  main  divisions  of  the  story 
that  she  may  guide  the  children  by  her  questions. 
This  story  may  be  worked  into  one  of  the  more 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization       117 

elaborate  productions.  The  Bible  language  should 
be  used  and  the  result  should  be  full  of  dignity  and 
spirit.  For  detail  in  the  method  of  presentation 
compare  that  employed  in  the  story  of  Joseph 
(chapter  iii). 

The  story  may  be  given  so  that  the  following 
divisions  or  scenes  are  emphasized: 

SCENE   I 

Place:    At  Gibeon.     Street  scene. 

The  inhabitants  are  discussing  the  victories  of  the 
Israelites.  They  are  afraid  of  Joshua,  the  leader.  Mes- 
sengers report  that  he  is  advancing  toward  Gibeon.  The 
Gibeonites  plan  to  make  a  league  with  him  so  that  he  will 
not  destroy  their  city.  They  decide  to  deceive  Joshua  by 
dressing  as  strangers  from  a  far  country,  wearing  old  gar- 
ments and  taking  moldy  bread  and  wine. 

scene  II 

Place:    Joshua's  tent  at  the  camp  of  Gilgal. 

The  men  from  Gibeon  come  to  Joshua  and  tell  him  that 
they  are  from  a  far  country.  They  say  that  they  have  heard 
of  his  great  victories  and  wish  to  make  a  league  with  him. 
The  conversation  between  Joshua  and  these  strangers  is 
interestingly  given  in  the  Bible  and  may  be  quoted  almost 
exactly.     Joshua  makes  the  treaty  with  them. 

SCENE   III 

Place:    At  Gibeon. 

The  Israelite  soldiers  rush  into  Gibeon  to  take  it,  but 
find  that  the  inhabitants  are  the  same  ragged  strangers 
with  whom  they  made  the  league.  The  Israelites  reproach 
them,  but  cannot  go  back  on  their  word,  so  spare  their  lives, 


ii8    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

In  order  to  punish  the   Gibeonites  for  their   deception, 
Joshua  makes  them  slaves  of  the  Israelites. 

There  is  much  opportunity  for  construction 
work  in  the  dramatizing  of  this  story.  Costumes, 
pieces  of  armor,  and  weapons  may  be  made  in  a 
simple  manner  by  the  children. 

4.    ISAAC  AND   REBEKAH 

GENESIS,   CHAPTER    24 

The  story  of  Isaac  and  Rebekah  is  unusually 
valuable  for  dramatization.  It  involves  a  well- 
worked-out  plot  which  is  beautifully  and  simply 
told  in  the  Bible,  and  which  brings  the  children  in 
contact  with  many  interesting  customs  among  the 
shepherd  people.  The  story  needs  little  changing; 
it  may  be  given  almost  as  it  is  written. 

The  following  outline  for  the  divisions  of  the 
story  is  merely  suggestive: 

Act  I 

SCENE   I 

Place:     Abraham's  tent  in  Canaan. 

Abraham  is  lying  down  in  his  tent.  He  is  talking  to 
Isaac,  his  son,  about  the  wife^  he  wishes  him  to  have.  He 
calls  a  servant  and  bids  him  go  to  Mesopotamia,  his  old 
home,  and  bring  a  wife  for  Isaac  from  his  own  kinsfolk. 
Abraham  makes  the  servant  swear  that  he  will  do  as  he  has 
been  told.  Perhaps  Abraham  has  his  hand  on  Isaac  while 
he  is  talking,  and  Isaac  will  take  some  small  part  in  the 
conversation. 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization       119 
Act  II 

SCENE   I 

Place:    Mesopotamia. 

The  messenger,  with  his  servants,  comes  to  the  well  just 
outside  of  the  city  walls,  where  the  women  draw  water. 
There  should  be  no  attempt  to  represent  the  camels.  These 
may  be  indicated  by  the  conversation  and  left  to  the  imagi- 
nation. The  messenger,  through  praying  to  God,  decides 
how  he  shall  know  which  young  woman  to  choose  for  Isaac. 
When  Rebekah  comes  with  her  pitcher  she  offers  to  give 
water  to  him  and  to  his  camels  also.  The  man  is  sure  then 
that  Rebekah  is  sent  by  God,  and  therefore  he  arranges  to 
go  to  her  father's  house  for  the  night. 

This  scene  should  be  made  very  picturesque  as 
well  as  interesting.  The  children  may  look  up 
pictures  of  the  wells  of  those  times  and  then  con- 
struct something  that  will  serve  the  purpose. 
Pieces  of  pottery  may  be  brought  in  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  women  to  represent  water  jugs.  (Com- 
pare with  the  street  scene  described  in  the  story  of 
Ruth,  chapter  vi.) 

SCENE   II 

Place:     Rebekah's  home. 

In  this  scene  comes  the  discussion  of  Rebekah's  leaving 
home  to  become  the  wife  of  Isaac.  The  messenger  makes 
known  to  the  family  that  it  is  Abraham,  their  kinsman,  who 
is  sending  for  Rebekah.  He  gives  Rebekah  the  gifts  which 
his  master  has  sent — earrings,  bracelets,  and  the  like.  The 
family  finally  decide  that  Rebekah  may  go  back  to  Canaan, 
but  they  ask  the  servant  to  let  her  stay  with  them  for  ten 


I20    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

days  longer.  He  is  unwilling  to  wait,  and  the  question  is 
therefore  put  to  Rebekah.  She  answers  that  she  will  go 
with  him  now. 

Act  III 

SCENE   I 

Place:     Canaan.     A  field  near  Isaac's  home. 

Isaac  walks  alone  in  the  field  at  sunset.  He  is  constantly 
looking  into  the  distance,  and  he  is  wondering  when  the 
messenger  will  return  with  a  wife  for  him.  At  length  he 
sees  the  camels  approaching  and  hastens  to  meet  them. 
This  is  all  indicated  by  his  soliloquy — no  camels  must  be 
shown.  The  servant  and  Rebekah  have  dismounted  and 
come  to  meet  Isaac.  The  servant  gives  Rebekah  to  Isaac 
who  embraces  her  and  shows  his  joy  at  receiving  such  a 
beautiful  wife.  The  play  should  end  where  Isaac  turns 
toward  his  father's  tent  with  Rebekah. 

While  the  children  are  playing  this  story  there 
should  be  much  detailed  discussion  which  will  give 
them  an  adequate  background  for  understanding 
the  customs  upon  which  the  story  is  based;  and 
there  should  be  shown  many  illustrations  which  will 
insure  correct  mental  pictures. 

5.    ELIJAH   AND    THE    WLDOW'S   MEAL 
I  KINGS,  CHAPTER    1 7 

This  may  be  used  as  a  very  simple  incident  of 
two  scenes,  or  it  may  be  elaborated  into  a  longer 
play. 

The  first  scene  is  placed  by  the  gate  of  the  city 
of  Zarephath.     As  Elijah  comes  toward  the  gate 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization       121 

he  asks  a  woman,  who  is  gathering  sticks,  for  a 
drink  of  water.  She  gives  him  the  water  and  he 
asks  for  bread.  The  conversation  between  them 
brings  out  the  facts  that  there  is  famine  in  the  land, 
and  that  the  widow  has  hardly  enough  meal  left 
in  the  house  to  make  bread  for  herself  and  for  her 
son.  She  agrees  to  divide  with  Elijah,  however, 
and  takes  him  into  her  house.  The  wording  for 
this  scene  may  be  taken  almost  directly  as  it  is 
given  in  the  Bible. 

The  second  scene  is  placed  in  the  house  of  the 
widow.  The  woman  and  her  son  are  eating  with 
Elijah.  From  what  they  say  to  each  other  it  is 
apparent  that  the  meal  and  oil  have  lasted  for  many 
days,  and  the  three  people  have  had  plenty  to  eat 
during  the  famine.  The  widow  is  convinced  that 
a  miracle  has  been  wrought  by  her  guest.  She 
begs  him  to  tell  her  who  he  is.  The  stranger 
answers  that  he  is  Elijah,  the  prophet  of  the  Lord, 
and  that  it  is  through  the  Lord's  care  of  them  that 
they  have  had  food  enough.  The  play  may  well 
end  here  with  the  final  speech  from  the  widow  as 
it  is  given  in  the  Bible:  ''Now  by  this  I  know  that 
thou  art  a  man  of  God,  and  that  the  word  of  the 
Lord  in  thy  mouth  is  truth." 

In  case  the  part  of  the  story  which  gives  the 
raising  of  the  widow's  son  is  used,  a  third  scene 
may  be  added,  and  the  widow's  speech  would  come 
at  the  end  of  that  scene. 


122    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 
6.  elisha  and  the  shunammite 

II   KINGS,   CHAPTER   4 

This  incident  is  similar  to  the  story  of  Elijah 
and  the  widow's  meal,  and  may  be  dealt  with  in 
the  same  manner.  It  should  be  simplified  by 
selecting  certain  parts  for  dramatization.  The 
emphasis  throughout  falls  upon  the  generous 
qualities  of  the  two  characters — Elisha,  ever  ready 
to  help  others,  and  the  woman,  who  always  kept 
a  room  for  the  prophet  because  she  admired  his 
goodness. 

7.    DANIEL   interprets    THE   KING'S   DREAM 
DANIEL,    CHAPTERS    I    AND    2 

The  stories  about  Daniel  have  unusually  inter- 
esting possibilities  for  dramatization.  They  need 
very  little  explanation.  They  are  so  vividly  and 
beautifully  told  in  the  Bible  that  the  children  will 
understand  them  readily  and  have  no  difficulty  in 
interpreting  them.  A  few  historical  facts  may  be 
given  to  make  the  setting  clear.  The  following 
divisions  are  suggested  for  the  first  story: 

SCENE   I 

King  Nebuchadnezzar  brings  four  Israelites  into  his 
court  in  order  to  have  them  trained  as  councilors.  He 
appoints  them  a  daily  provision  of  the  king's  meat  and 
wine. 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization       123 

SCENE  II 

The  King  dreams  a  dream  and  forgets  it.  He  calls  all 
of  his  wise  men  and  demands  that  they  tell  him  what  his 
dream  was  and  also  interpret  it.  The  wise  men  declare 
that  this  is  an  impossibility  and  refuse  to  obey.  Nebuchad- 
nezzar is  furious  and  orders  that  they  all  be  put  to 
death. 

Daniel  then  comes  before  the  King  and  asks  that  the 
King  give  him  time  that  he  may  interpret  the  dream.  The 
King  grants  this. 

SCENE   III 

Daniel  appears  before  the  King  again.  The  King  asks 
if  he  is  able  to  tell  what  the  dream  ^fas  and  to  interpret  it. 
Daniel  answers  that  he  is  able  to  tell  him,  not,  however, 
by  his  own  power,  but  by  the  power  of  God  in  heaven  who 
revealeth  secrets.  Then  Daniel  gives  in  detail  the  dream 
and  tells  King  Nebuchadnezzar  the  meaning  thereof.  The 
King  is  so  affected  that  he  falls  on  his  face  and  worships 
Daniel.  He  recognizes  the  God  of  Daniel,  and  commands 
that  Daniel  be  made  governor  of  Babylon.  At  Daniel's 
request  he  also  makes  the  three  other  Israelites  rulers  of 
certain  provinces. 

This  story  may  be  treated  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  story  of  Joseph  (chapter  iii). 

8.    SHADRACH,    MESHACH,    AND    ABED-NEGO    IN    THE 
BURNING  FIERY   FURNACE 

DANIEL,    CHAPTER   3 

This  story  may  be  read  to  children  directly  from 
the  Bible.     After  they  have  worked  it  over  several 


124    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

times  the  final  product  will  include  three  scenes 
of  the  following  character: 

SCENE   I 

The  heralds  come  through  the  streets  crying  aloud  that 
King  Nebuchadnezzar  commands  all  people  to  bow  down 
when  they  shall  hear  the  musical  instruments  and  worship 
the  image  of  gold  which  he  has  set  up.  Those  who  do  not 
obey  will  be  put  into  a  burning  fiery  furnace.  The  instru- 
ments of  music  sound  and  all  the  people  fall  to  the  ground 
to  worship  except  the  three  IsraeHtes,  Shadrach,  Meshach, 
and  Abed-nego.  Some  of  the  men  notice  that  the  Jews  do 
not  obey,  and  go  off  immediately  to  tell  the  King. 

SCENE   II 

The  men  come  before  the  King  and  begin  their  story  by 
saying,  ''O  King,  live  forever!"  The  Bible  language  may 
be  used  directly  here  in  the  conversation  which  follows. 
The  King  is  very  angry  at  what  these  men  tell  him.  He 
orders  that  the  three  Jews  be  brought  before  him.  They 
are  brought  in  and  the  King  tells  them  that  they  will  have 
to  be  put  into  the  fiery  furnace  if  they  do  not  obey.  The 
Jews  are  not  afraid  and  reply  that  their  God  will  take  care 
of  them.  The  King  then  orders  them  to  be  bound  and 
to  be  taken  out  to  the  furnace,  which  has  been  heated  seven 
times  hotter  than  usual.  Men  come  running  back  to  the 
King  to  tell  him  that  the  servants  which  thrust  the  Jews 
into  the  furnace  were  burnt  up  by  the  heat,  but  that  the 
Jews  were  not  harmed.  Another  man  runs  in  and  tells 
the  King  that  a  fourth  person  is  in  the  furnace,  and  that  he 
resembles  the  Son  of  God.  Nebuchadnezzar  commands 
that  the  three  men  be  brought  out  from  the  furnace.  They 
come  before  him,  with  no  mark  of  the  fire  on  them.  The 
King  is  so  greatly  impressed  that  he  makes  a  decree  that 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization       125 

no  one  shall  speak  against  the  God  of  Shadrach,  Meshach, 
and  Abed-nego.  He  then  appoints  these  three  men  to 
positions  of  greater  trust  than  ever  before. 

9.    BELSHAZZAR   AND    THE   HANDWRITING   ON 
THE    WALL 

DANIEL,   CHAPTER    5 

This  story,  like  the  others  from  Daniel,  is  so 
dramatically  told  in  the  Bible  that  it  may  be  taken 
almost  exactly  as  it  is  given.  It  should  be  worked 
into  a  one-act  play.  Much  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  setting,  and  the  children  may  make 
many  things  which  will  give  some  idea  of  the  rich- 
ness of  the  banquet  hall. 

The  play  opens  with  the  feast  of  Belshazzar. 
The  people  are  making  merry  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  pomp  and  luxury  of  the  court.  Suddenly  the 
handwriting  appears  on  the  wall.  The  King  and 
the  people  see  it  and  are  terrified.  The  children 
should  not  attempt  to  show  the  handwriting,  but 
from  the  words  and  actions  of  the  King  and  the 
people  the  audience  must  be  made  aware  of  what 
is  happening.  None  of  the  wise  men  present  is 
able  to  interpret  the  handwriting.  The  Queen 
comes  before  the  King  and  begs  that  he  send  for 
Daniel,  the  Jew.  Daniel  is  brought  in,  and  after 
a  little  thought  gives  the  interpretation.  The 
scene  should  end  with  the  recognition  of  Daniel's 
power.     The  scarlet  robe  is  placed  on  him  and  the 


126    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

golden  chain  is  put  around  his  neck,  and  the  King 
proclaims  that  Daniel  shall  be  the  third  ruler  in 
the  land. 

lO.    THE    STORY   OF   JOB 
THE   BOOK   OF   JOB 

The  most  majestic  piece  of  literature  in  the 
Bible,  and  one  of  the  world's  masterpieces,  is  the 
Book  of  Job.  The  Prologue  and  Epilogue  are  in 
the  prose  epic  style,  which  characterizes  the  best 
narrative  portions  of  the  Bible.  The  main  part 
of  the  book  is  actually  dramatic  in  form,  and  the 
deep  problem  of  human  suffering  is  discussed  in  the 
loftiest  poetic  language.  The  theme  is  so  pro- 
found and  the  imagery  so  elevated  that  it  is  quite 
beyond  the  abihty  of  small  children.  High-school 
students  might  well  present  the  drama.  Many  of 
the  speeches  may  be  abbreviated,  while  the  Pro- 
logue can  easily  be  dramatized.  Job  has  been  so 
presented  with  great  success  by  children  of  high- 
school  age  at  All  Souls'  Church,  Chicago.  It  may 
be  noted  that  the  voice  of  the  Lord  was  given  in  an 
elevated  monotone  by  a  person  unseen. 

II.    THE   PROPHETS 

For  the  older  children  many  of  the  Prophets 
make  interesting  characters  for  dramatization. 
The  great  value  of  a  study  of  the  Prophets  lies  in 
their  appeal  as  beautiful  pieces  of  literature  and 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization      127 

expressions  of  the  deepest  spiritual  feeling,  rather 
than  in  the  dramatic  situations  presented.  If  a 
study  is  made  of  the  life  of  the  Prophets,  and  of  the 
times  in  which  they  lived,  ample  material  will  be 
discovered  which  may  serve  as  a  background  for 
the  dramatization  of  these  characters.  This 
material  is  not  entirely  available  from  the  Bible, 
but  should  be  reinforced  by  outside  references, 
such  as  The  Prophets  of  Israel  by  C.  H.  Cornill, 
The  Modern  Reader^ s  Bible  by  R.  G.  Moulton,  The 
Hebrew  Prophets  by  Chamberlin. 

The  prophet  Amos  may  be  taken  as  an  example 
of  what  can  be  done  with  this  material.  The  Chil- 
dren of  Israel  are  celebrating  their  autumn  festival 
with  great  joy  and  abandon.  As  the  mirth  is  at 
its  highest  an  unknown  man  makes  his  way  through 
the  crowd.  He  silences  the  festivity  by  chanting 
his  dirgelike  reproof  to  the  merrymakers.  The 
astonishment  of  the  people  at  this  sensational 
interruption  is  great.  The  high  priest  hurries 
toward  him  and  demands  an  explanation  for  this 
unusual  disturbance.  He  orders  Amos  to  cease 
speaking  and  to  go  back  to  the  hills  and  mind  his 
sheep.  Amos  answers  that  he  is  sent  by  the  Lord 
to  reprove  the  people  of  Israel,  and  he  continues 
to  intone  his  lamentations.  The  most  beautiful 
and  vivid  selections  for  use  in  dramatization  are 
found  in  chapters  8  and  9.  While  the  final  beauti- 
ful words   of   the  prophecy  are  regarded  as  an 


128    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

editorial  appendix,  there  can  be  no  impropriety  in 
using  them  as  a  dramatic  climax.  The  people  may 
then  be  represented  as  subdued  in  spirit,  accepting 
the  upbraiding  as  being  the  word  of  God. 

Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  other  Prophets  may  be 
worked  out  in  like  manner.  The  result  in  each 
case,  however,  should  insure  the  utmost  dignity 
and  beauty;  otherwise  the  dramatization  should 
never  be  attempted. 

The  many  Prophets  with  their  various  messages 
suggest  the  possibihty  of  their  use  in  a  pageant. 
This  form  of  dramatization  may  be  given  to 
advantage  by  a  group  of  children  as  a  climax  to 
their  detailed  study  of  the  Prophets. 

From  each  of  the  following  subjects  several 
dramatizations  may  be  taken.  They  suggest  many 
short  one-act  plays,  and  also  some  excellent  long 
ones. 

Saul  Chosen  and  Anointed  King  of  Israel.     I   Sam., 

chaps.  9  and  lo. 
Samuel  Anoints  David.     I  Sam.,  chap.  i6. 
David  and  Jonathan.     I  Sam.,  chaps.  18-20. 
David  Spares  Saul's  Life.     I  Sam.,  chap.  24. 
Moses  Begs  Pharaoh  to  Allow  the  Children  of  Israel  to 

Leave  Egypt.     Exod.,  chaps.  5-13. 

It  may  be  well  to  state,  in  connection  with  the 
selection  of  stories  from  the  Bible  for  dramatiza- 
tion, that  other  stories  outside  of  the  Bible  may 


Bible  Stories  for  Dramatization      129 

be  dramatized  by  these  same  methods  and  will 
accompKsh  the  same  results.  It  is  not  best  to 
allow  children  to  dramatize  in  succession  too  many 
of  the  heavier  type  of  stories,  such  as  the  Bible 
stories  represent.  They  may  become  tired  if  they 
work  too  long  at  the  same  kind  of  dramatization. 
Children  need  stories  which  will  lighten  and  reheve 
the  extreme  seriousness  and  dignity  which  they 
necessarily  have  to  express  in  playing  the  Bible 
stories.  There  is  a  host  of  fairy  tales,  folk-tales, 
and  historical  incidents  that  may  well  be  adapted 
for  this  purpose. 

The  Children's  Educational  Theatre,  by  Alice 
Minnie  Herts,  describes  dramatic  work  with  chil- 
dren older  than  those  who  made  the  plays  in  this 
book.  It  is  an  interesting  experiment  in  education 
which  uses  dramatization  as  a  means  for  accom- 
plishing certain  aims. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

STAGE  SETTING  AND  PROPERTIES 

The  point  has  been  emphasized  in  the  preceding 
chapters  that  very  Httle  stage  setting  and  only  a 
few  properties  are  used  in  connection  with  these 
dramatizations.  It  is  always  best  that  as  much  as 
possible  should  be  left  to  the  imagination,  and  that 
only  such  setting  and  properties  be  used  as  the 
children  themselves  can  construct  and  as  are  needed 
to  produce  the  atmosphere  of  the  play.  This  point 
of  view  influences  any  consideration  of  these 
matters. 

It  is  frequently  true  that,  after  the  children  have 
made  the  articles  they  find  a  need  for,  the  results 
are  very  crude,  and  there  is  yet  much  opportunity 
for  free  play  of  the  imagination.  Great  benefit 
is  derived,  however,  through  the  construction  of 
these  objects.  The  children  gain  a  clearer  under- 
standing and  a  keener  appreciation  of  them  after 
they  have  had  the  experience  of  trying  to  express 
the  shape  or  form  through  some  medium,  such  as 
clay-modeling,  paper-cutting,  drawing. 

Care  should  be  taken  that  children  make  nothing 
in  the  nature  of  stage  scenery,  such  as  trees,  grass, 
bulrushes,  and  other  bits  of  landscape.     The  only 

130 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties         131 

stage  setting  which  seems  at  all  necessary  for  them 
to  make  involves  very  simple  designs  which  show 
the  characteristic  ornamentation  of  the  times,  for 
example,  the  lotus  and  papyrus  designs  in  Pharaoh's 
court. 

Drawings  and  descriptions  of  a  few  of  the  most 
essential  stage  properties  and  settings  are  given 
below,  with  suggestions  as  to  where  and  how  each 
may  be  used. 

Water  jugs  and  dishes. — In  the  earlier  stages  of 
Hebrew  history — as  is  found  to  be  the  case  with 
all  primitive  shepherd  people — skins  and  wooden 
bowls  were  used  for  holding  water,  milk,  and  food. 
Clay  vessels  were  probably  not  in  general  use 
during  the  nomadic  period.  When  dramatizing 
the  stories  of  Abraham  and  Isaac,  and  others  of 
that  period,  this  fact  should  be  taken  into  account, 
and  only  vessels  of  wood  and  skin  should  be 
used. 

Most  of  the  clay  utensils,  which  are  mentioned 
in  the  stories  of  a  later  time,  were  shaped  like  those 
shown  in  Fig.  10.  Many  of  the  water  jugs  had 
small  handles,  though  some  were  without  handles. 
Fig.  1 1  shows  the  position  in  which  a  Hebrew  woman 
usually  carried  her  water  jug. 

The  Hebrews  had  little  interest  in  the  aesthetic 
except  in  the  realm  of  Kterature,  and  the  lack  is 
very  evident  in  their  pottery.  The  water  jugs  are 
far  from  having  the  beauty  of  line  and  proportion 


132    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

which  is  found  in  Greek  pottery.  Whenever  any 
of  these  vessels  are  needed  for  use  in  a  dramatiza- 
tion, it  is  well  to  have  the  children  bring  jars  and 


WATER  JUG3 


DRINKING 
BOTTLE 


CCDKING    POT 


/AILK.JUG 


WATER 


JUG 


bowls  from  home  which  conform  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  the  shapes  here  given.  Earthenware 
bowls  and  jars  may  be  used  effectively. 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties 


133 


Wells. — The  importance  of  wells  in  the  life  of 
the  early  Hebrews  cannot  be  overemphasized. 
The  scarcity  of  water  in  the  desert  made  the  digging 
of  wells  a  necessity  for  the  survival  of  people  and 
of  flocks.  As  much  of  the 
land  was  rocky,  wells  could 
be  dug  only  at  certain  places. 
These  favorable  places  were 
the  means  of  determining 
where  the  tents  were  to  be 
pitched.  In  most  of  the 
stories  of  the  nomadic  life 
wells  play  a  conspicuous 
part. 

Children  should  have  cor- 
rect mental  pictures  of  those 
ancient  wells,  so  that  they 
do  not  confuse  them  with  the 
modern  wells.  The  wells  of 
Palestine  usually  had  low 
stone  walls  around  them,  and  often  big  flat  stones 
for  covers.  The  rocks  were  piled  high  enough 
to  keep  animals  from  falling  in.  In  some  of  the 
wells  the  water  was  so  low  in  the  ground  that 
people  had  to  go  down  steps  on  the  inside  in 
order  to  get  it.  In  other  wells  the  vessels  were 
let  down  by  means  of  ropes.  The  women  of  the 
land  were  always  required  to  draw  and  carry  the 
water. 


V/O/^AN  CARR-YIM^ 
WATER.   JUG 

Fig.  II 


134    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 


ANCIENT  V/EIU 
IN  PALEJTINE 


The  simplest  way  for  children  to  represent  a 
well  on  the  stage  is  by  piling  up  rocks  to  resemble 
the  outside  or  by  using  something  that  will  look 
like  a  great  stone.  Fig.  12  shows  two  kinds  of 
wells  in  Palestine. 

Staff  and  rod. — 
The  shepherd  boy 
always  had  with  him 
a  rod  and  a  staff 
(Fig.  13).  The  rod 
was  about  two  and  a 
half  feet  long  and 
was  used  for  pro- 
tection. The  thick 
knob  at  the  end  was 
cut  out  of  the  tree 
from  which  the  limb 
came,  and  was  fre- 
quently covered 
with  knots  or  nails  to  make  it  more  terrible  as  a 
weapon.  The  children  may  find  pieces  of  wood 
which  will  serve  the  purpose,  or  if  they  live  near 
a  forest  they  may  make  their  own  rods. 

The  staff  was  usually  about  five  feet  long.  The 
shepherd  used  it  to  help  him  chmb  hills  and  moun- 
tains and  also  to  keep  the  sheep  from  straying. 
Some  staffs  were  nothing  more  than  the  straight 
limbs  of  trees;  others  had  a  fork  or  crook  at  the 
end  so  that  they  could  more  easily  catch  into  the 


0'^kim 


■^> 


imJZZJT:k 


Fig.  12 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties 


135 


wool  of  the  sheep  when  they  needed  guiding.  Chil- 
dren may  use  long  sticks  or  branches  from  trees 
when  they  represent  staffs. 

Sling. — The  sling  which  was  used  in  David's 
time  was  frequently  woven   of  rushes,   hair,   or 


JTT^ARc/' 


cTWORDX 


cTTAFF 


sinews;  sometimes  it  was  made  from  soft  leather. 
From  Fig.  14  it  will  be  seen  that  the  shape  of  the 
woven  part  is  wider  in  the  middle  and  comes  to  a 
point  at  the  end.  A  string  was  tied  to  each  end 
and  the  stone  was  placed  in  the  wide  part.     The 


136    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

sling  was  whirled  around  over  the  head,  and  as 
one  string  was  let  loose  the  stone  flew  out.  When 
the  sling  is  used  in  a  dramatization,  the  stone  may 
be  left  to  the  imagination. 

Children  take  great  pleasure  in  trying  to  weave 
this  shng.     A  diagram  of  a  simple  cardboard  loom 


i> 


Fig.  14 


is  given  in  Fig.  14.  The  shape  should  be  drawn 
on  the  cardboard,  then  holes  made  for  the  thread 
which  strings  up  the  loom.  Coarse  woolen  yarn 
may  be  used  for  the  weaving. 

Shepherd  hag.—Th.^  shepherd  bag  which  was 
used  by  David  was  carried  by  every  shepherd  boy 
along  with  the  staff,  rod,  and  shng.     It  was  made 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties         137 

from  a  piece  of  skin  with  a  cord  at  each  end.  The 
cords  were  fastened  to  the  girdle  so  that  the  skin 
formed  a  kind  of  bag.  Pebbles  for  the  sKng  were 
carried  in  it,  and  often  supplies  of  food.  A  piece 
of  leather  or  of  brown  cloth  may  be  easily  made  into 
one  of  these  bags  for  the  children  to  use. 

Sickles. — Sickles  were  of 
two  kinds — those  made  of 
metal  and  those  made 
of  wood.  The  wooden  ones 
were  toothed  with  sharp 
pieces  of  flint.  Fig.  15  gives 
the  characteristic  shapes. 

Children     may     represent  J'ICICLLJ' 

these  sickles  by  cutting  the  ^ig.  15 

shapes  from  stiff  cardboard 
and  coloring  them  some  dark  color  to  make  them 
look  as  if  they  were  wood  or  metal.     Some  of  the 
boys  may  be  interested  in  cutting  sickles  directly 
out  of  wood. 

Scepter. — The  scepter  was  used  by  kings  in  the 
later  history  of  the  Hebrews.  It  was  nothing 
more  than  a  development  of  the  rod  used  in  the 
shepherd  period.  As  a  rod  it  was  a  means  of  pro- 
tection and  power  over  enemies,  and  as  a  scepter  it 
was  a  symbol  of  the  same  power.  Scepters  were 
sometimes  short,  with  much  ornamentation;  others 
were  long,  probably  five  feet  in  length.  They 
were  all  characterized  by  a  ball  at  the  end,  and  in 


138    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

many  cases  the  kings  had  them  made  from  gold, 
or  richly  ornamented  with  gold.  The  Persian 
kings  used  the  long  scepter,  which  therefore  is 
the  kind  most  appropriate  for  the  play  of  Esther 
(see  Fig.  16). 

Tents. — The  ancient  Hebrew  tent  was  much  like 
the  modern  Bedouin  tent.  It  was  low  and  spread 
out  over  the  ground,  and  was  made  of  black  goat's 
hair  cloth.     This  cloth  was  usually  stretched  over 


JCEPTER- 
Fig.  16 

nine  poles,  arranged  in  rows  of  three  and  from  six 
to  seven  feet  in  height.  The  inside  of  the  tent 
was  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  long  curtain  which 
hung  across  the  middle. 

A  tent  may  be  represented  on  the  stage  by  pla- 
cing a  big  thick  cloth  (a  blanket  or  canvas  or  dark 
curtain)  over  poles  or  screens. 

Shields. — There  were  two  kinds  of  shields  found 
among  the  Hebrews.  One  was  very  large  and 
covered  a  man  from  head  to  foot;  it  was  usually 
carried  by  a  shield-bearer.  The  other  was  small 
and  was  sometimes  called  a  buckler.  Many 
different  shapes  were  found  in  both  kinds  of  shields; 
some  were  like  the  Eg>^tian^ — -long,  broad,  and 
straight  at  the  bottom;    others  were  round  and 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties 


139 


FSONT    ^^ND 
vTIDE.    VIEW  J 


oblong.  All  shields  were  convex  with  handles 
on  the  inside  to  hold  them  by.  The  kings  had 
shields  covered  with  gold,  or  decorated  with  gold 
and  precious  stones; 

but  the  common  fX  J^^IELDv/ 
soldier  had  a  shield  of 
wood  or  stiff  leather. 
Leather  formed  the 
basis  of  the  shields 
that  were  decorated. 
Fig.  17  will  show 
drawings  of  some  of 
the  typical  shapes. 
Children  can  easily 
make  shields  out  of 
cardboard;  some  may 
be  covered  with  gold 
paper  or  with  dark- 
brown  paper.  A 
handle  may  be  glued 
or  sewed  in  the  inside 
so  that  the  shield  may 
be  held  without 
trouble. 

Swords. — The  sword  was  always  hung  from  the 
left  side  of  the  sword-belt.  It  was  made  from 
bronze  or  iron,  and  was  about  seventeen  inches 
long.  Fig.  13  shows  some  of  the  usual  shapes. 
Many   swords   were   two-edged   and   had   leather 


Fig.  17 


I40    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

sheaths  in  which  they  were  carried.  Children  may 
make  these  out  of  stiff  cardboard,  or  out  of  thin 
wood.  They  should  be  colored  a  dark  color,  and 
the  hilts  may  be  decorated  with  bright  colors  to 
represent  jewels. 

Spears. — Spears  averaged  about  five  feet  in 
length.  The  javelin  was  a  long,  heavy  spear  used 
for  casting;   the  lance  was  a  lighter  spear  used  for 


defense.  All  spears  had  a  shaft  of  wood  and  a 
metal  or  stone  point.  Fig.  13  gives  several  of  the 
characteristic  shapes  of  spear-points.  Spears  may 
be  made  by  fastening  cardboard  points  to  long 
sticks,  or  by  cutting  the  point  directly  out  of  the 
wood. 

Bows  and  arrows. — The  bows  and  arrows  of  the 
Hebrews  were  very  much  like  those  of  all  other 
primitive  peoples.  The  bows  were  often  four  or 
five  feet  long  and  the  arrows  were  pointed  with 
sharp  flint  or  metal.  Illustrations  of  the  shapes 
are  found  in  Fig.  13.     Children  need  little  direction 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties 


141 


in  the  making  of  these  weapons,  a  string  and  some 
pliable  wood  being  all  that  is  necessary. 

Trumpets. — Fig.  18  illustrates  the  kinds  of 
trumpets  used.  The  small  ram's-horn  trumpet 
was  associated  with  the  feasts  and  other  public 
celebrations,  while  the  long  metal  horn  was  used 
for  the  most  part  by  the  priests.  These  metal 
trumpets  were  frequently  made  from  hammered 


J*IQNET    klNQ 
Fig.  19 


LAMP 


Fig.  20 


silver.  Children  can  make  them  out  of  stiff  paper 
or  thin  cardboard  and  cover  them  with  silver 
paper. 

Signet  ring. — ^A  signet  ring  is  something  that  the 
kings  were  never  without.  In  the  earlier  times 
it  was  worn  on  a  chain  which  hung  from  the  neck; 
later  it  was  worn  on  the  finger.  Fig.  19  gives  a 
drawing  of  a  signet  ring.  The  design  was  raised 
so  that  it  left  an  imprint.  The  king  used  this 
imprint  as  his  royal  signature  instead  of  signing 
his  name.  When  a  signet  ring  is  needed  in  a 
dramatization,  as  is  the  case  in  Daniel  in  the  Lions^ 
Den,  any  large  ring  may  be  used,  or  the  children 


142    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 


iiiiiiiiiJAiiia 


•A7'VA7'V° 


♦AtAf 


may  be  interested  in  making  a  ring  from  paper  or 
cardboard. 

Lamps. — Fig.  20  shows  one  of  the  simpler  types 
of  lamps  used  at  the  time  of  Christ.  This  was 
probably  the  kind  referred  to  in  the  parable  of  the 

Wise  and  Foolish  Vir- 
gins.  The  lamps 
were  terra  cotta  and 
held  a  very  little  oil. 
Children  will  be 
interested  in  making 
these  lamps  out  of 
clay  or  plasticene. 
They  are  almost  in 
the  shape  of  a  shallow 
bowl  with  a  handle. 
Egyptian  design. — • 
In  the  scenes  placed 
in  Pharaoh's  court  a 
few  decorations  sug- 
gestive of  the  Egyptian  will  add  interest.  Fig.  2 1 
gives  some  of  the  simpler  designs  which  the  children 
may  use  for  ornamentation.  The  servants  may 
carry  the  large  fan-shaped  designs,  which  they  make 
on  stiff  paper.  These  designs  were  made  from  the 
lotus  and  the  papyrus  plants;  the  leaves  were 
usually  a  blue-green,  and  red,  blue,  yellow,  white, 
and  black  were  used  in  many  designs.  Fig.  21 
shows  some  of  these  designs  that  were  made  by  the 
children  and  used  in  representing  Pharaoh's  court. 


EGYPTIAN 
DEJIGN 


Fig.  21 


Stage  Setting  and  Properties         143 

As  it  may  be  of  interest  to  those  who  have  access 
to  a  Kbrary  to  know  where  more  definite  and 
detailed  information  may  be  secured  concerning 
the  articles  that  are  but  briefly  described  here,  the 
following    works    are    recommended:     The    New 

r>^   HELMETJ    /^--^ 


CROWNfJ 


Fig.  22 

Schaf-Herzog  Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowledge; 
Hastings'  Dictionary  of  the  Bible;  the  Jewish  Ency- 
clopedia; Kitto,  Cyclopedia  of  Biblical  Literature; 
three  books  by  W.  M.  Thomson — Central  Palestine 
and  Phoenicia,  Southern  Palestine  ajtd  Jerusalem, 
Lebanon,  Damascus,  and  beyond  Jordan;  Elmendorf , 
A  Camera  Crusade  through  the  Holy  Land. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

COSTUMING 

The  question  of  costuming  may  be  dealt  with 
in  much  the  same  manner  as  that  of  stage  setting 
and  properties.  Costumes  are  unnecessary  in 
many  of  the  simpler  plays,  and  even  where  they 
are  used  they  should  be  so  treated  that  they  are 
of  minor  importance  in  the  minds  of  the  children. 
It  is  nearly  always  the  case  that  the  very  smallest 
suggestion  of  a  costume — a  sash  or  a  cloth  around 
the  head — is  satisfying  and  sufficient  to  produce 
the  proper  atmosphere  of  the  play.  There  is 
danger  of  placing  so  much  emphasis  upon  this 
phase  of  the  work  that  the  children  attach  undue 
importance  to  it  and  thus  lose  the  real  spirit  of  the 
dramatization. 

If  costumes  are  used  they  should  not  be  saved 
for  the  final  performance,  but  the  children  should 
have  the  pleasure  of  wearing  them  at  each  practice 
where  they  are  actually  hving  over  and  over  the 
lives  of  other  people.  Children  should  get  their 
ideas  of  the  dress  of  the  times  from  pictures  and 
descriptions  and  then  in  very  simple  ways  try  to 
represent  what  they  have  observed.  The  sim- 
plicity of  the  costumes  among  the  Hebrew  people 
makes  the  problem  comparatively  simple. 


Costuming 


145 


a. 


Z2 
IS 

a 
:3 

tJb 

<: 
I. 

d 


146    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

There  is  very  little  definite  knowledge  about  the 
exact  costume  of  the  ancient  Israelites,  for  they 
have  left  no  records.  The  only  sources  of  informa- 
tion on  the  subject  are  the  few  references  to  dress 
in  the  Old  Testament  and  the  few  Jewish  figures 
found  among  the  Egyptian,  Assyro-Babylonian, 
and  Persian  carvings.  The  conclusion  has  been 
reached,  however,  that  the  ancient  Hebrew  cos- 
tume was  in  general  similar  to  that  of  the  modern 
Arab. 

It  is  fairly  certain  that  among  the  earliest  tribes 
a  simple  slip  or  short  tunic,  with  close-fitting 
sleeves,  was  worn.  Later  a  big  loose  mantle  was 
usually  thrown  over  this  slip.  The  little  under- 
garment was  white,  woven  from  wool,  or  some- 
times made  out  of  skins;  the  outer  garment  was 
frequently  striped,  a  bright  color  with  white. 
Among  the  old  patriarchs  the  outside  cloak  reached 
to  the  ground.  It  was  often  in  the  shape  of  a 
blanket,  and  w^as  draped  by  throwing  one  end  over 
the  left  shoulder,  then  passing  it  across  the  front 
of  the  body  and  under  the  right  arm,  then  across 
the  back,  and  to  the  left  shoulder  again. 

At  a  still  later  period  there  was  the  long  gown, 
which  reached  to  the  ankles  and  was  belted  in  at 
the  waist  by  a  girdle.  This  was  sometimes  covered 
by  an  outside  robe  which  was  like  a  cape.  Fre- 
quently these  garments  were  brought  over  the 
heads  in  order  to  protect  their  wearers  from  the  sun. 


Costuming  147 

As  a  rule  the  servants  and  lower  class  of  people 
wore  only  the  one  garment — a  short  tunic,  with  or 
without  a  girdle.  The  richer  men  wore  the  outside 
cloaks.     Kings   and   nobles   had   many   kinds   of 


r 


Fig.  24. — The  costume  of  Abraham 

cloaks  which  were  very  elaborately  decorated. 
They  had  silk  girdles,  while  the  poorer  men  wore 
leather  girdles.  See  Figs.  23-27  for  costumes 
made  by  the  children. 

The  women's  dress  was  very  much  the  same  as 
that  worn  by  the  men.     All  garments  may  have 


148    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

been  a  little  longer,  but  the  draping  and  the  kinds 
of  garments  were  the  same.  Great  ladies  had 
beautiful  veils  and  shawls. 


Fig.  25. — Two  kinds  of  costumes — the  Rich  Shepherd  and 
the  Servant. 

Both  men  and  women  wore  sandals.  The  soles 
were  made  of  leather  or  thick  woven  cords. 
They  were  fastened  to  the  feet  by  means  of  strings 


Costuming 


149 


of"  leather,  linen,  or  of  papyrus.  Two  straps  were 
usually  attached  to  the  back  of  the  sandal,  then 
crossing  from  the  back  over  the  instep  they  were 
tied  to  a  third  strap  which  was  fastened  at  the 
front  and  came  between  the  great  and  second  toe. 


/^ 


Fig.  26.— Costumes,  shov/ing  sandals  made  by  the  children 

Fig.   26  shows  sandals  which  were  made  by  the 
children. 

The  headdress  in  the  earher  days  was  nothing 
more  than  a  piece  of  square  cloth,  folded  diagonally 
and  placed  over  the  head  with  the  long  point  at  the 
back;    the  two  ends  were  then  crossed  under  the 


150    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

chin  and  thrown  back  over  the  shoulders.  A  cord 
was  tied  around  the  head  to  keep  the  cloth  on. 
Later  a  kind  of  turban  was  worn  which  had  no 
loose  ends,  but  w^hich  projected  over  the  face 
enough  to  protect  one  from  the  sun.     Figs.  23-25 


Fig.  27. — Costumes 


give  examples  of  different  kinds  of  headdress  made 
by  the  children. 

The  crowns  which  the  kings  wore  were  frequently 
of  gold,  studded  with  jewels,  although  the  Persian 
king  had  a  stiff  cap  of  felt  or  cloth,  encircled  by  a 
blue  and  white  band.  Fig.  22  gives  a  few  of  the 
typical  shapes  for  crowns. 


Costuming  151 

The  helmets  which  were  worn  by  the  soldiers 
were  varied.  The  shapes  employed  by  the  As- 
syrians and  the  Egyptians  were  probably  used 
among  the  Hebrews.  See  Fig.  22  for  drawings  of 
some  of  the  best-known  helmets.  Children  may 
make  these  easily  by  using  cardboard  and  gilt 
paper. 

The  Hebrew  men  and  women  had  many  personal 
ornaments,  such  as  necklaces,  armlets,  bracelets, 
rings.  Children  delight  in  making  all  kinds  of 
bracelets  and  chains  from  gold  and  silver  paper. 
They  may  bring  all  the  bright-colored  beads  that 
they  can  get  for  the  enrichment  of  the  costume. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  A  CHURCH 
DRAMATIC  CLUB 

The  kind  of  dramatics  described  in  this  book 
may  be  undertaken  with  success  in  connection  with 
any  Sunday  school.  The  most  necessary  element 
is  a  leader  in  charge  who  is  wide  awake  to  the  aims 
and  purposes  of  such  work  and  who  has  the  ability 
to  deal  with  little  children.  A  trained  teacher  is 
preferable. 

This  dramatization  can  be  most  effectively 
presented  to  children  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
thirteen.  In  case  the  Sunday  school  is  very  large 
and  more  children  join  than  can  be  easily  managed 
by  one  leader,  it  would  be  best  to  divide  the  mem- 
bers into  two  or  three  smaller  groups,  each  with  a 
competent  leader  in  charge.  One  person  should 
be  able  to  handle  well  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
children.^ 

This  training  ought  not  to  stop  with  younger 
children,  but  may  well  be  carried  on  with  pupils 
of  high-school  age.     This  would  involve  problems 

^  In  church  schools  which  are  organizing  on  the  most  approved 
methods  of  the  correlation  of  all  educational  activities  the 
dramatic  club  may  be  a  regular  part  of  the  junior  department, 
similar  clubs  being  integral  parts  of  the  other  departments. 

152 


Organizing  a  Church  Dramatic  Club    153 

slightly  different  from  those  here  presented,  but 
on  the  whole  the  same  aims  may  be  achieved. 

It  is  sometimes  the  case  that  a  few  of  the  chil- 
dren outgrow  the  club.  They  begin  to  realize 
that  they  are  much  larger  than  the  others,  and  they 
decide  that  they  do  not  care  to  take  part  in  the 
acting,  yet  they  are  still  interested  enough  to  come 
to  the  meetings.  If  there  is  no  other  dramatic 
club  into  which  they  may  go,  then  they  may  be 
used  as  assistants  in  the  younger  club  and  made  to 
feel  that  they  are  a  necessary  part  of  it.  There 
are  many  ways  in  which  they  can  be  of  valuable 
help  to  the  leader,  at  the  same  time  experiencing 
a  development  through  the  training. 

During  one  year  in  the  history  of  the  dramatic 
club  here  described  three  girls  of  fourteen  came 
regularly  to  the  meetings.  They  could  not  be 
persuaded  to  take  part  in  the  dramatizations,  but 
they  expressed  an  eagerness  to  help  in  the  direction. 
They  entered  into  the  discussion  and  criticism  of 
the  plays  that  were  being  acted  each  Sunday,  and 
their  suggestions  were  always  very  much  to  the 
point.  They  had  the  abihty  of  explaining  what 
they  meant  to  the  children  so  that  it  was  easily 
understood.  These  girls  would  write  out  the 
scenes,  sometimes  while  the  children  were  actually 
giving  them;  or,  again,  they  would  write  them  at 
home  and  bring  them  for  discussion  at  the  next 
meeting.    They  took  entire  charge  of  the  costuming, 


154    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

and  would  meet  outside  at  sewing-bees,  where 
they  mended,  pieced,  or  made  over  the  costumes  on 
hand.  Then  at  the  plays  they  ahvays  took  the 
responsibility  of  dressing  the  little  children,  putting 
on  their  headdresses,  tying  their  sashes,  and  seeing 
that  their  costumes  were  draped  in  the  right  way. 

When  a  dramatic  club  is  first  started,  it  is 
advisable  to  dignify  the  organization  by  electing  a 
president  and  secretary  from  among  the  children. 
The  president  may  take  charge  of  the  meetings 
and  then  turn  them  over  to  the  director,  and  may 
help  in  many  ways  to  keep  the  club  together.  The 
secretary  may  call  the  roll  and  be  responsible  for 
sending  notices  to  the  members.  Children  always 
delight  in  this  amount  of  formality,  and  through 
it  each  one  becomes  a  much  more  vital  part  of  the 
group;  the  responsibility  as  far  as  possible  is 
placed  upon  the  children,  and  they  usually  rise  to 
meet  it. 

It  is  hardly  practical  in  most  cases  to  attempt 
to  hold  more  than  one  meeting  a  week.  The  time 
should  be  set  according  to  the  convenience  of  the 
majority  of  the  members.  Sunday  afternoon  was 
found  to  be  the  best  time  for  this  little  club  to 
meet,  but  any  week  day  will  do  as  well.  Occa- 
sionally, just  before  a  play  is  to  be  given,  a  few  call 
meetings  may  be  necessary. 

It  is  desirable  that  the  club  own  the  simple 
costumes  which  the  members  wear.     A  costume 


Organizing  a  Church  Dramatic  Club    155 

box  is  a  convenient  place  for  keeping  them.  The 
same  garments  may  be  used  over  and  over  again, 
and  should  be  kept  where  they  may  be  easily 
obtained  at  each  meeting.  The  older  girls  in  the 
group  will  be  glad  to  take  charge  of  the  costume 
box,  and  they  should  see  that  all  of  the  garments  are 
kept  in  order.  The  supply  of  costumes  will  grow, 
for  children  will  be  constantly  bringing  new  things 
to  add  to  it. 

There  are  various  methods  of  getting  a  number  of 
costumes  on  hand.  The  children  may  bring  from 
home  old  sheets  and  bright-colored  shawls  and 
ribbons,  which  may  be  used  to  advantage.  Often 
the  Sunday  school  will  appropriate  a  small  sum 
in  order  to  help  buy  materials.  A  very  small 
amount  of  money  need  be  spent,  for  the  costumes 
must  be  extremely  simple  and  they  should  be 
planned  and  made  by  the  children. 

The  construction  work  which  the  children  do 
in  connection  with  the  dramatization  is  an  impor- 
tant part  in  the  working  out  of  a  play.  As  already 
noted,  the  greatest  value  of  it  lies  in  the  fact  that 
it  represents  the  efforts  of  the  children.  There  is 
hardly  time  at  one  of  the  regular  meetings  to  have 
the  construction  work  done.  A  discussion  of  the 
articles  needed  may  be  necessary,  after  which  the 
children  should  be  encouraged  to  make  them  at 
home.  The  older  ones  are  able  to  look  up  pictures 
and  descriptions  which  will  help,  while  the  younger 


156    The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 

ones  need  to  have  the  matter  frequently  talked 
over  in  order  to  give  them  the  correct  mental 
pictures  of  what  they  are  to  make.  It  is  always 
surprising  to  see  how  readily  children  take  hold  of 
this  kind  of  work.  They  bring  in  very  many 
interesting  things  which  they  have  made — often 
things  which  they  have  thought  out  for  themselves 
and  which  they  had  not  been  asked  to  make. 
There  are  times  when  all  the  members  are  working 
on  the  same  problem,  such  as  lamps  for  the  Wise 
and  Foohsh  Virgins.  It  may  be  best  under  these 
circumstances  to  have  a  meeting  outside  w^here  they 
all  work  together.  (Descriptions  of  these  con- 
structed articles  may  be  found  in  a  previous 
chapter.) 

A  word  of  warning  may  be  in  place  at  this  point. 
Parents  of  the  children  are  usually  anxious  and 
eager  to  help  in  making  costumes  and  the  con- 
structed objects.  The  very  best  aid  that  they  can 
give  is  to  see  that  the  children  have  the  oppor- 
tunity for  making  these  things  themselves;  they 
may  encourage  and  guide  wisely,  but  the  finished 
product  must  be  the  child's,  not  the  mother's. 
Some  mothers  have  thought  that  they  were  doing 
the  right  thing  to  have  a  carpenter  make  the  spears 
and  other  weapons  for  the  soldier.  The  boy  derives 
more  benefit  if  he  looks  around  for  some  sticks 
which  will  serve  his  purpose,  no  matter  how  crude 
they  may  be. 


Organizing  a  Church  Dramatic  Club    157 

The  order  in  which  plays  are  given  in  this  book 
should  not  be  taken  as  the  proper  sequence  for  a 
dramatic  club.  The  story  of  Joseph  is  described 
in  detail  first  because  the  method  used  there  may 
be  followed  with  any  of  the  shorter  or  longer 
stories.  This  particular  story,  however,  should 
not  be  the  first  one  presented  to  children  who  have 
never  had  such  work  before.  Such  stories  as 
David  and  Goliath ^  Abraham  and  the  Three  Guests, 
or  any  of  the  parables  should  come  first.  Joseph, 
Ruth,  and  Esther  are  well  worked  out  by  children 
after  they  have  had  a  little  experience  with  dram- 
atization. 

As  a  final  summary,  let  it  be  ever  kept  in  mind 
that  this  dramatization  functions  as  a  factor  in 
rehgious  education  only  when  the  highest  develop- 
ment of  the  children  is  the  aim.  It  should  be  so 
conducted  that  it  forms  an  essential  part  of  the 
religious  training  of  the  Sunday  school,  and  also 
one  of  the  valuable  activities  of  the  church. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Aaron,  55 

A hraham,  the  dramatization  of, 

84-92,  118 
Ahasuerus,  king  of  Media  and 

Persia,  70-83 
Aims  of  dramatization,  5,  9-10 
Amos,  the  prophet,  127 
Angels,  85,  90 
Armorand  weapons,  50, 138-40, 

151 

Bag,  shepherd,  136 

Banquet,  Queen  Esther's,  69, 

80 
Belshazzar,  125 
Boaz,  64-66 
Bow  and  arrow,  140 

Cardboard,  use  of,  45,  60,  151 
Citizens  of -Bethlehem,  65 
Clay,  use  of,  100,  131,  142 
Cloak,  outer  garment,  146 
Conspirators,  94-97 
Construction  work,  45,  60,  130- 

43 
Costumes,  45;    the  making  of, 
144-51;    the  method  of  ob- 
taining, 155 
Crowns,  150 

Daniel,  the  dramatization  of, 

93-97,  122,  125 
Darius,  93-95 
David,  44;    the  dramatization 

of,  46-51,  128 


Design,  Eg3^tian,  142 
Diagram  of  loom,  45,  136 
Dishes,  131 

Education,  religious,  6-8,  157 
Elijah,  120-21 
Elisha,  122 

Esther,   the  dramatization   of, 
68-83 

■Feast,  80,  1 15-16 
Fiery  furnace,  123-24 

Gibeonites,  1 16-17 
Girdle,  146 
Gleaners,  63 
Goliath,  44,  48,  51 

Haman,  71-74 
Harvest,  59,  61 
Headdress,  69,  144,  150 
Helmet,  143,  151 

Innkeeper,  105 
Isaac,  118-20 
Isaiah,  128 

Jacob,  18,  112 
Jael,  112 
Jephthah,  112 
Jeremiah,  128 
Jericho,  103 
Jerusalem,  103 
Job,  126 


161 


i62     The  Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories 


Jonathan,  128 

Joseph,  the  story  of,  17-25;  the 

dramatization  of,  34-43 
Joshua, 116 

Lamps,  99-100,  142 
Lions,  den  of,  93,  96-97 
Loom,  45,  136 

Method  of  presenting  dramati- 
zation, formal,  9;  informal, 
10-16 

Miriam,  55 

Moab,  the  land  of,  63 

Mordecai,  72-74 

Moses,  the  dramatization  of, 
52-56,  128 

Naomi,  62-63,  66-67 
Nebuchadnezzar,  122-23 

Organization,  of  dramatic  club, 
7,  8,  152-57;  of  stories,  iio- 
II 

Ornaments,  personal,  151 

Papyrus,  142,  149 

Parables,  the  dramatization  of, 

98-108 
Performance,  public,  14,  33,  90 
Pharaoh,  21,  39,  54,  57-58 
Pharaoh's  daughter,  55-58 
Pictures,  the  use  of,  45,  84 
Plasticene,  100,  142 
President  of  the  club,  154 
Prodigal  Son,  The,  dramatiza- 
tion of,  105-8 
Prophets,  the,  126-27 

Queen  of  Sheba,  1 15-16 


Reapers,  63-64 
Rebekah,  118-20 
Ring,  signet,  141 
Ruth,  the  dramatization  of,  59- 
67 

Samaritan,      The     Good,      the 

dramatization  of,  103-4 
Samson,  112 
Samuel,  1 13-14,  12S 
Sandals,  62,  148-49 
Sarah,  85 
Saul,  48,  128 
Scepter,  69,  78,  137 
Secretary  of  the  club,  154 
Servant,  100,  108 
Shepherd  customs,  84 
Shield,  45,  138 
Sickles,  60,  137 

Sling,  45,  51,  135-36 
Soldier,  49,  96 
Solomon,  1 15-16 
Spears,  45,  140 
Staff,  45,  134 
Stage  setting,  84,  130 
Supper,  The  Great,  100 
Swords,  45,  139 

Tents,  84,  138 
Trumpets,  141 
Tunic,  146-47 
Turban,  150 

Virgins,  The  Wise  and  Foolish. 
the  dramatization  of,  99-100 

Water  jugs,  131-32 
Wells,  133 


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